Photography Exhibition "Candlewood Kiss: An Alternative View of A Beloved Lake" Now At Bethel Artspace

Bethel Arts is hosting Elisabeth J. Levy’s photography exhibit “CANDLEWOOD KISS: AN ALTERNATIVE VIEW OF A BELOVED LAKE” through October 17, 2015. Gallery hours are:, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays from 12-3pm and Thursday and Saturday evenings from 6-8 p.m. at 91 Greenwood Avenue, Bethel, CT.

Fairfield County based Artist Elisabeth J Levy, known for her luminous yet intimate images of the Natural World, has turned her camera towards a local treasure, Candlewood Lake. Originally a product of human engineering, Candlewood was built for the largely practical purposes of regulating water levels in the Housatonic with the side effect of providing summertime recreational opportunities for residents of the 5 towns along its borders. Levy, who grew up spending summers on the Lake and later lived there year-round, feels Candlewood is under-appreciated for its natural beauty during the “in-between time” as she calls it, after the boats and swimmers are gone, the docks pulled out, and residents and visitors have turned their attention towards other diversions. Levy says she also wants to bring attention to the Lake’s ecology, how we are impacting it, and what we can be done to ensure the Lake’s survival.

“The images in the Candlewood Kiss show came when I was relaxing at home one afternoon in mid-January and looked outside my window. I 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. “I do my best to reflect moments of grace with my camera and hold them up for others to witness as I believe it is as important to share these moments as it is to recognize them. With Candlewood Kiss, it is also of crucial importance to me that I bring attention to the environmental issues threatening the Lake.”