BROWNWOOD – September 16, 2016 – Howard Payne University will present “Portals: A Photographic Series in Black & White and Other Works by Julie Mize” at HPU’s Dorothy and Wendell Mayes Art Gallery from September 22 through October 30, 2016. An opening reception will be held on September 23 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Mize, adjunct instructor of photography at HPU and art teacher at Brownwood Middle School, has assembled a collection of her works ranging from traditional photography to cyanotypes, ziatypes and even iPhone photography.
“One aspect of photography that interests me is the way the camera isolates a specific subject and tells a story based on what has been included – and what has been excluded,” Mize said. “This exhibit shows images in different photographic processes that contribute to the moods and settings of a variety of stories.”
“Portals,” a series of traditional gelatin silver prints, features photographs in which a variety of structures create frames for what is seen through them.
“I respond to these compositions of framed openings because of the possibilities of what is held within the spaces,” Mize continued. “How are the openings formed? How do the settings affect the outcomes? What stories do these places tell?”
Also on display are cyanotypes and ziatypes, alternative photographic processes made from contact prints of objects set on paper coated with chemicals sensitive to sunlight.
“These methods have qualities that change stark black-and-white images to ones with a certain romance or dreaminess,” Mize said. “In many of these, I paired transparency negatives with actual objects or with other transparencies to create new settings and stories.”
A wall of iPhone photographs is also part of Mize’s exhibit. She finds these to be an exciting complement to the black-and-white photographs she makes.
“Photographs made on my iPhone are part of this show because smartphone photography and related apps provide endless creative opportunities,” she said. “The effect of seeing these photographs together reminds me of looking through family travel photo albums. What was happening that caught this photographer’s eye while she was traveling through a place? The light and color effects from the smartphone apps help tell those stories.”
Mize has been interested in art since childhood. When she was 12 years old, her parents gave her a 110mm camera, launching what has become a lifelong interest in photography. She continues to process her own film and prints.
She received a Bachelor of Science degree in art and all-level teaching certification from Howard Payne University in 1996 and a Master of Art Education degree from Texas Tech University in 2006. After teaching art at Hearne Elementary School in Houston for three years, Mize became the art teacher at Brownwood Middle School in 2000 and continues in that role today. In 2008, she was invited to join the faculty of HPU as the adjunct instructor of photography. She helped create the darkroom in HPU’s Doakie Day Art Center and enjoys introducing HPU students to the traditional photographic processes.
Through the years, Mize’s photography has been selected for a variety of shows such as the High and Dry annual photography exhibit at Texas Tech University, the Stars of Texas annual art exhibit in Brownwood, annual exhibits by the Brownwood Art Association Photographers’ Group and various photography shows held by the Lake Granbury Art Association.
The Dorothy and Wendell Mayes Art Gallery, located inside HPU’s Doakie Day Art Center, is open on Mondays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The exhibit is free of charge and the public is invited.
For more information, contact HPU’s School of Music and Fine Arts at 325-649-8500. More details about HPU are available online at www.hputx.edu.
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Photo cutline: “Florentine Arches,” a silver gelatin print by Julie Mize, is part of an exhibit of her photography on display at Howard Payne University from September 22 through October 30.