An Artistic Journey with Craig Varjabedian

Santa Fe, NM, April 23, 2007 --(PR.com)-- Four and Twenty Photographs, the newest collection of works by New Mexico photographer Craig Varjabedian, is an eloquent examination of his thirty-five years behind the camera. This exhibition of twenty-four photographs, both black & white and color, will be debut at the Museum of the Southwest, Midland, TX from June 1 to July 31, 2007, along with the companion book - Four and Twenty Photographs: Stories from Behind the Lens. The photographer will be present at the opening and book signing on June 1st at the museum beginning at 6pm.

The late Beaumont Newhall, the preeminent photographic historian, once wrote that “the remarkable photographs by Craig Varjabedian are not only beautiful but also extremely valuable documents of architecture, culture, and lifestyle in northern New Mexico.” Varjabedian’s eloquent black-and-white images record his fascination with capturing “the moment made extraordinary” by light, texture, and personal revelation.

This collection offers twenty-four images personally selected by the photographer. Their strength lies not only in their luminous beauty but also in the way Varjabedian establishes relationships with his subjects that far surpass the visual. Varjabedian’s landscapes are imbued with light and meaning, as well as the human values that make possible a relationship between architecture and the land. His images are informed by the essence of a place: “I want the land to tell its story,” he says. His portraits celebrate an understanding between people and their surroundings. From cowboy Archie West to the Most Reverend Archbishop Michael Sheehan, the portraits demonstrate the strength, humor, and personality of those who greet the dawn of each day with hard work and who retire at sunset with faith and fortitude.

“I feel that land and people form relationships, and when I take a photograph, I’m forming a relationship, both with the subject of my picture (be it tree, cloud, building, or person) and the environment around the subject,” explains Varjabedian. “Nowadays, when I photograph I feel I’m creating a homage to the West, its land, and its people. The light and sky are spectacular, but the people who live here also affirm the strength, endurance, and magic of this place.”

This collection of twenty-four photographs, both black & white and color, will be at the Museum of the Southwest, Midland, TX from June 1 to July 31, 2007. To accompany this national traveling exhibition, a book of the same title is available. The photographer will present at the opening and book signing on June 1st at the museum.

"And that was the impetus behind this book—trying to put into words what Craig Varjabedian does, what he cares about, and why he photographs. That as well as his desire to share, to pass on what he has seen and done. The photographs reproduced here serve, in a way, as mile markers on his artistic journey—a journey he invites readers to take with him.", writes Robin Jones, "...The stories that accompany the photographs offer voices from farms, ranches, fields, forests, museums, books, and more. They deal with the photograph itself, the experience of making it, or the image or person or place in the photograph. Photographs tell their own stories, certainly, but in this collection we try to present more, a relationship between image and imagination."

For information and/or reproduction photographs, contact Cindy Lane at (505) 983-2934 or via email:cindy@craigvarjabedian.com.

Contact: Cindy Lane, (505) 983-2934
New Exhibition at Museum of the Southwest:
Four & Twenty Photographs
Photographs by Craig Varjabedian

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