SARAH RYDGREN PHOTOS IN STETSON GALLERY IN NOVEMBER

November at the Stetson Gallery in the Unitarian Universalist Church of Marblehead will feature the photographs of Sarah Rydgren of Salem. Rydgren’s exhibit, ‘home,” will be celebrated at an opening reception on Sunday, November 2, from 12-2 p.m. at the Gallery, located at 28 Mugford St., Marblehead.

Sarah Rydgren, a 28 year native of Salem, has always had an interest

in the outdoors, nature, travel and photography. She briefly studied

film photography at Montserrat College of Art, however, she is

completely self-taught in digital photography, specializing in Nikon

DSLR Cameras and Adobe Photoshop. Sarah is now pursuing a

Bachelor’s Degree in environmental biology and geology at Salem State

University and works as a Ranger in Ipswich for the Trustees of

Reservations. She recently moved back to her hometown of Salem with

her 6 year old son, Maverick, and her two cats. You can often see

Sarah spending her free time hiking and photographing the North Shore.

She has been influenced by such photographers as Ansel Adams, Darren

Jew, Paul Nicklen and Paul Souders.

Rydgren calls this exhibit “home” because, she says, “Home is where you feel comfort, and most of my work displayed in this show was taken during the last year, while I was healing from my father’s death.

“I have been inspired by nature and the outdoors for my entire life, and photography has tied into that very well for me. I photograph landscapes and wildlife that I encounter, and am drawn to areas close to home that I find comforting and beautiful. The interaction between light and a scene is invigorating to me, and the role the seasons play with changing the landscape around me never ceases to amaze me. I hope that my work inspires others to get outside and explore, and to realize that they don’t necessarily have to travel far from home to see incredible places. I recently upgraded from a Nikon D90 to a Nikon D7000, and print on paper, aluminum, glass and canvas.

Sarah Rydgren has a diverse portfolio and a broad range of skill but

specializes in landscape photography. Sarah has been featured in

several local publications including Newburyport Magazine, is a regular

contributor to the Salem News, and has had a full spread feature in

the Ipswich Chronicle. Her work has been hung and displayed at the

Howling Wolf and Witch Dr. Galleries in Salem. Cranes Beach has also

used her photography for their social media pages.

Stetson Gallery is open weekdays 9 a.m.-2 p.m. (1 p.m. Mondays) and during Church events at other times. The winter/spring 2015 Gallery season will continue with: January, watercolors by Marblehead native Wendy Hubbard; February, watercolors by Winnie Burns; March, paintings by Jane McKenna; April, art by the mother and daughter duo Elaine Caliri Daly and Dianna Daly, featuring music by the Daly family; May, photographs by Linda Silva Palleschi; June, floral photographs by Rev. Wendy von Zirpolo. Curators Anthony and Jo Ann Silva welcome inquiries from artists for the 2015-2016 gallery season at stetson@uumarblehead.org.