Press Release

For Immediate Release

Night Photograph by John Vias Chosen for Juried Annual 2007 Exhibition

Oakland, Calif. (PRWEB) January 25, 2007 - A night photograph by John Vias titled "Fairy Tale Benches" was selected for inclusion in Pro Arts's "Juried Annual 2007" exhibition, which runs from January 26th through March 11th. Pro Arts will host a reception in Oakland on Thursday, February 1st, 6 p.m.-8 p.m.

"Fairy Tale Benches," a night photograph by John Vias, has been selected for inclusion in Pro Arts's "Juried Annual 2007" exhibition. The juror was Berin Golonu, Associate Visual Arts Curator, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco, and former editor-in-chief of Artweek magazine. Almost 800 artworks were submitted; 52 were selected.

Pro Arts will host a reception Thursday, February 1st, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. The public is invited. Refreshments will be served.

Selected artists will give presentations about their work on Saturday, February 24th, at 1 p.m. The public is encouraged to meet the artists and ask questions.

Both events are hosted by Pro Arts at their gallery, located at 550 2nd St, Oakland, California, in the Jack London Square neighborhood. Admission is free.

"Fairy Tale Benches" was captured one night at the Berkeley Marina. In the image, empty park benches overlook rocks, trees, and the San Francisco Bay. Although the blues and yellows of the sky might lead one to think the image was captured at sunrise, it taken was after midnight. As the full moon moved across the sky during the twenty-minute exposure, it softened the shadows and helped create the magical look reflected in the title.

Vias says "a central focus of my work is to reveal the beauty in ordinary things, such as park benches." His photographs often feature common objects: a drinking fountain, a highway overpass, an industrial site. On his Web site, he quotes Confucius: "Everything has its beauty but not everyone sees it."

Vias's home and studio are located in Ocean View, a West Berkeley neighborhood. He describes the area as diverse, providing a "wide variety of potential subjects, including a marina, foundry, factories, stores, restaurants, apartments, and houses." The locale supplies much of the subject matter for his work. "Strong lines and unusual shapes draw my eye," Vias said. "The ambiguity of purpose, content, and history of some structures arouses my curiosity."

He captures his night photographs on film with the aid of exposures as long as twenty minutes. Of the surreal colors in some of his images, Vias explains "they occur through the intersection of film, long exposures, and available light."

About John Vias
John Vias wanders around in the dark taking pictures. He's an award-winning fine art photographer whose work has been recognized in competitions and reprinted in the press. It hangs in public, private and corporate collections in the U.S. and abroad. Vias (his name rhymes with "bias") was born in Illinois in 1965 and earned a Certificate in Photography from University of California Berkeley Extension and a B.A. from the University of Florida. He lives and works in Berkeley, California. His work can be previewed at his Web site, johnvias.com.

About Pro Arts
Pro Arts's gallery is conveniently located in Downtown Oakland, California, just steps from public transportation. Pro Arts continues to serve as the region's primary visual arts venue by hosting annual exhibitions and special events. For more information, please visit proartsgallery.org.

Contact
John Vias
510-558-7470