Bethel Photographer Exhibits Work at Portofino's

Artist Elisabeth J Levy’s photos of Candlewood Lake will be on display at Portofino’s Restaurant from June 15-August 13, 2015. The Portofino exhibition is part of the Cultural Alliance of Western Connecticut’s “Accessible Art Series.”

Levy grew up spending summers on the lake and later lived there year-round. Said in a release that she feels “Candlewood Lake is under-appreciated for its natural beauty during the ’in-between time’ after the boats and swimmers are gone, the docks pulled out, and residents and visitors have turned their attention towards other diversions.”

“I was relaxing at home one afternoon in mid-January when I looked outside and couldn’t believe how gorgeous the lake looked. I had marveled at its beauty countless times but this light and what it was doing to the water and the hills around it was beyond anything I had ever seen here before. I grabbed my camera and kept shooting until it got too dark. Then the next day I went out and shot again. It was about 24 hours of Candlewood magic. It was my last winter on the lake and I felt like it was giving me a kiss good-bye, hence the title of the series.”

Levy says that what drives her work is a desire to bring attention to beauty in the everyday. “Even something as simple as the way the sun fills up a tulip transforming it briefly into a chalice of light. I do my best to reflect this moment of grace with my camera and hold it up for others to witness as I believe it is as important to share these moments as it is to recognize them.”

For more information please contact Elisabeth J Levy at elisabeth@ejLphoto.com or(914) 261-3509.

Bethel “Candlewood Kiss: An Alternative View of a Beloved Lake,” photography exhibition is June 15-August 13. Opening reception is on June 20 from 12-3pm. Free and open to the public. Portofino Restaurant & Wine Bar is located 213 Greenwood Avenue. (203) 797-8131; www.ejLphoto.com.

Photo: “Lake Ablaze” from Candlewood Kiss by Elisabeth J. Levy, 2008.