The Wildling Museum of Art and Nature in Solvang presents Dunes: Visions of Sand, Light, and Shadow, a new photography exhibition, which is scheduled to debut on Saturday, Sept. 10, and remain on display at the venue through the end of March 2023.
The solo exhibit will showcase photos taken at the Oceano dunes by San Luis Obispo-based photographer Bob Canepa, who has visited the dunes weekly for years, according to press materials. A special fall reception for the exhibit will be held on Sunday, Oct. 9, between 3 and 5 p.m.
“I am not a traditional black and white photographer who chooses deep contrast, but rather uses, or creates, tonalities throughout the image to place value on all parts of the subject,” Canepa said in a statement.
Canepa said he hopes his photography will inspire others to help preserve local sand dunes and wetlands, and the native plants and animals—including the threatened Western snowy plover—that inhabit these areas. He bought his first camera in 2004 and has loved photography as an art form ever since.
“I find myself in awe of this art form each day. There is always something to photograph, always a different perspective, angle, or a change in the lighting,” Canepa said. “I am passionate about dune photography and have been ‘playing’ in the dunes for years.
“I find something new each time I visit the Oceano dunes … I can be atop the highest dune, surveying the entire area and envisioning compositions as the sun rises or descends over the approaching hours,” he said.
For more info on Canepa’s photography, visit bobcanepaphotography.com. The Wildling Museum of Art and Nature is located at 1511 Mission Drive, unit B, Solvang. Call the museum at (805) 688-1082 or visit wildlingmuseum.org for more details. Δ
This article appears in Aug 25 – Sep 4, 2022.