Current Exhibition

Eternal Plant Shadows: A study in Lumen prints by Janet Lynn McClish

Jan worked both sides of the camera. She was one of the female pioneers in the world of commercials marketing and sales of photography. As as sales representative for a Swiss large-format camera and lighting company, she broke barriers as one of the first women in her field to work as a remotely located field sales rep, covering Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Arkansas. Her career was filled with memorable experiences, perhaps none more so than her time selling, training and servicing NASA's state-of-the-art photography department in Houston, TX.

After moving to Massachusetts, she transitioned from her commercial career back to her artistic roots as a freelance studio photographer. She had long admired Anna Atkins, a 19th-century botanist and one of the first female photographers, known for her cyanotype images (blue) of plants, prints now treasured by collectors.

Inspired by Atkins and her own deep love of plants and gardening, Janet began a personal project using a now rarely used, slow-reacting photographic wet process (meaning it had to be developed chemically) Kodak AZO contact printing paper to create "lumen prints". She created "lumen" 5x7 inch prints by placing plant matter directly onto AZO paper, exposing the material to sunlight for hours, then later scanning and enhancing the images digitally before making an archival print.

This exhibition presents a selection of these botanical impressions, a quiet, powerful, celebration of nature, light, and time.

Like many artists, Janet spent her life working in this fascinating industry. When she finally found time to create for herself, that window was cut short by a force many of us know too well: cancer.

I wish she were here to share her thoughts, her vision, and her stories. Today, you witness a visual piece of her spirit.

I am delighted to share a small part of her.

— Vern McClish

 

Exhibition Opening Reception: Saturday, September 26, 2026 from 5:30-7 pm

Exhibit will be on display through December 2026. For additional viewing hours, please call (413) 477-6746.

*All of Jan's images are for sale, $100 each.