July 12 - August 15, 2003 Exhibition At
"The Timmel Collection"
"Thirty Year's of Photography"

(A Retrospective)

"The Timmel Collection's" July Show will be a a retrospective of Saugatuck photographer Victoria Stull, one of the most acclaimed and groundbreaking photographers working. Opening Saturday, July 12, 2003, this exhibition will be a first. It will cover Stull's substantial \'9cuvre and presents works from thirty of her limited edition series, from her earliest work in the mid-1970s to her most recent and the exhibtion will run through mid-August.

Vicky Stull, an only child, was born in Boise, Idaho. Stull's father was the town judge. An academic child who excelled, at an early age she became interested in photography and bought a small camera. Stull received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California at Berkley and her Master of Arts from Boise State University. She has done post -graduate work with John Saxton, George Tice, Bruce Barnbaum and Howard Bond.

"I first became interested in photography in 1974. Children, family and occasional travel caused me to wonder about making predictable records of memorable events. Automatic focus and expos ure were not yet mainstream, so I turned to instruction at a local university to get started. After taking every photography class offered, I turned to workshops for more."

An outcome of the workshop experience was developing awareness that images can be more than a record -- a photograph can be a work of art. Explore the world as an art form -- isolate essential image -- eliminate excess subject matter. Almost th irty years years ago, when she left Idaho and her job in real estate to follow her husband to west Michigan, she brought her camera with her, hoping she'd have time for the hobby she'd taken up as a student at Boise State. Today, the Saugatuck artist is one of the country's most respected black-and-white photographers.

"It's an emotional medium," Stull says. "When you have the technical in place, you don't have to think about them and you can let the heart take over." Stull says her pictures say volumes about how she was feeling when she took them.

"I can tell when I'm developing a print if is was bored or not inspired when I took it. I lose interest in those images very quickly," she says.

But she's disciplined enough to work through what she calls "the wrong frame of mind" by shooting until she gets in the mood. Shooting primarily natural scenes and landscapes, Stull's work reflects her interest in places where the natural and the manmade come together. Many of her images favor architecture that frames rather than obscures nature such as cottage porches, garden gazebos, and courtyards. In her pictures natural forces such as mist and shadow are often shown working on the architecture to change or enhance its appearance.

"This kind of image talks about how we're doing as a species, about man's interaction with the natural world," Stull says.

Stull's point of view lies in "What happens when light plays on the surface giving added meaning to the subject; " how light works over surfaces and over different textures.

In her more intimate work, she shoots still life of flowers she grows in her garden. Gardening is her other passion, and she says preserving the flowers on film, showing them in a way only the camer a can see, makes gardening and photography complementary pursuits.

Travel is an essential element in the landscape photographer's work, and Stull has taken some interesting trips. While she's shooting on location, where it's not convenient to develop her film, Stull uses Polaroid shots to check the light, exposur e and set-up.

"The Polaroid is very faithful to the final print," she says.

Throughout the year, Stull divides her time between shooting and printing. When the weather's right, she needs to be outside shooting. In addition to her Saugatuck studio, for the past five years she has also maintained a studio in St. Pete Beach, Florida.

Stull uses a large format (4-by-5 inches) Linhof Technikardan camera. In this format, each exposure is an individual sheet of film. When she goes hiking off into fields and canyons to shoot, she must bundle up and tote the camera, tripod and film.

Relates local collector Donald Poder:

"I have been collecting black and white photographs by Vicky for at least fifteen years. She is able to capture the essence of whatever subject she's dealing with as an artist, whether it's a barn roof, winter snow scene or the palm trees of southwest Florida. You feel transported to the time and place you may have been, bringing back memories of places you may have been, or wished to be. Vicky still has a wonderful gift and I'm glad she shares that with collectors of fine photography."

Ms.Stulls' extraordinary skill with a camera has produced works now shown in private and corporate collections throughout the country. A popular entrant in national shows, and a consistent recipient of awards, Ms. Stull is noted for her sensitivity to the interplay of light and texture. Thinking about the images to include in a retrospective -- contemplating favorite images made over these 29 years, reveal certain themes, which have persisted throughout the period. For example, in "Window," she captures the moment when -- in Taos, New Mexico -- the lighting over an adobe window created the mood and shape of a portrait. "Winter Dune," with its minutely detailed textures - among the grass and shadow streaked sand - has an organic, almost anthropomorphic air.

The Gallery hours for the opening will be Saturday and Sunday, July 12 & 13, 10AM to 5 PM. Vicky will be available both days to sign her new work as well as a limited edition poster available for the first time . Gallery hours for the duration of the exhibtion will be daily, 10 AM to 5 PM and by appointment. For further information, contact The Gallery at (269) 857-7274. All of Vicky's work is available for previewing at Vicky Stull

Above Image "Three Roses"
Limited Edition B&W Photograpy

Opening Reception

Friday July 11, 2003

Vicky with Gallery Patrons Judy and Bill Oberholtzer	Gallery Patrons Steve Blackwell and Ron Sarbieski who purchased two of Vicky's works on this evening.	Gallery Patrons Ryan Adolph and Jim Svec.
Gallery Director Rocky Kruithoff with Show Staff Nick and Eric.	Vicky and collectors Brian Mahoney and Bill Rowe.	Long time Gallery supporters Ron Stewart, Cynthia and Bill Porter and Marv Lebeau.
Rocky with good friend Jon Vandejom.	Saugatuck sculptor Cynthia McKean and Garry Umphrey.	The Ya-Ya's unite ... Vicky, Susan Saffer, Ann Horton and Nancy White.
Rocky and Saugatuck 's prima relator Sandy Shanahan.	Michigan entrepeneur's Gary Umphrey and Bill Porter.	Gallery Patron's Larry Sapp, Ron Stewart and Garry Umphrey observe Vicky serving Mark Vanderleek a 'cocktail.'