Don Nieman had a very successful opening show at Buffalo Big Print last night. In fact all of the galleries on Allen were packed so full of people that the tall windows facing the street were completely fogged. There was no shopping or spotting friends from the sidewalk; one had to enter the fray to be part of it.
In discussing the BRO brouhaha from
yesterday's post, Don confirmed that his photo that appeared on the front page was, in fact, taken at 7AM on a Sunday morning. Incidentally, he got a huge kick out of the discussion. "Buffalo Rising gets a lotta...you never know where they're going to go," Don laughed, "and I really enjoyed that they were talking about it." (Absolutely, that's what makes it fun around here.)
A lot of what catches Don's eye has to do with what he sees when he's touring around the city on his bicycle in the first morning light. He tends to separate his architecture work from his people work, saying that architecture and landscapes evoke the beauty of the environment best when there are no people in the frame. He photographs daytime street mobs and sports scenes too, but his landscape work is often done at dawn, dusk, and nighttime.
After our discussion early this morning, Don sent an email that sums it up perfectly: I thought about why I like scenes sans people. When I'm
surrounded by people or involved with the group in the scene I find I can often
miss the beauty around me. Buffalo is such a beautiful city when you take the
time to appreciate it. I think sometimes we get in our own way in not seeing
that beauty. I've lived in the most amazing landscape in the world, with
five years as a pilot in arctic Alaska; the landscape kept me in awe every day.
When I ride my bicycle around town and am surrounded by what we past and
present Buffalonians have created, I feel some of that same emotion. There is a grandeur to Buffalo!
Don's show - his very first - will stay on exhibit at Buffalo Big Print until April 28th. And once you know he skips people in landscapes on purpose, it's a treat to see Buffalo the way Don sees it.
Buffalo Big Print
Too bad I missed it! I love the early morning shots, and I totally agree; the lack of people evokes a definite sense of grandeur. They're a bit melancholy in that sense... very pretty.