Story Behind The Art
‘Be You!’ tells the audience to be who you are despite what society might think. In constructing the mixed media piece, it’s become the Gebhardt Marshall Gallery’s mantra. The majority of people get up in the morning and cloak who they really are with what their society wants them to be. They become what others expect from them. When this happens the person usually becomes unfulfilled because they’re out in a world that would otherwise reject them. Angela Gebhardt represents this by proudly being a woman in her forties with children who takes gorgeous photographs in lingerie. By doing this she tells the world that those people who would hold you in contempt for doing what you feel comfortable doing are the same exact people that shouldn’t you be around in the first place. The Gebhardt Marshall Gallery feels that if an artist censors themselves for the sake of majority approval they lose the essence of being an artist and become a carbon copy of everybody else. ‘Be You!’ puts this into perspective.
Model Is The Shot
‘Model is the Shot’ is a mixed media done in collaboration with Kris and Angela Gebhardt. Kris believes that the most important aspect of the shoot is the model. In believing this he sees things like props and wardrobes as technicalities that don’t make the picture like the model can. The whole process could not be done without the model and what that model is bringing to the table. Their affect, demeanor, and experience become crucial parts of the photograph, not what they are leaning on or what set they happen to be in.
Abstraction of Beauty by Kris Gebhardt
“Abstraction of Beauty” is one of Kris Gebhardt’s own favorite images he has captured. This is because it encapsulates the Gebhardt Marshall Gallery’s message of ‘confidence is beauty’ in an elegant representation of Kris’ work. The piece is very sensual in nature without being a nude photograph, which can be a hard thing to accomplish. The challenge was to take a purposefully out-of-focus photograph and elevate it to a level of high-end artistry. Kris uses his skill in capturing the moments he is after and says, “out of focus photographs are much more challenging and much more difficult to develop and print… my abstractive photographs seem much more like ‘art’ …”
Ruffle by Kris Gebhardt
“Ruffle” is an example of how Kris encapsulates his art’s meaning. To Kris, nude photographic art is a subjective perspective of expression. If a line is being crossed from nude art to pornography it has to do with who is viewing that piece of art, not the actual piece of art itself. People make their own world view. Kris chooses to use his photographic talent to make people aware of their bodies potential grace. This is especially true when it comes to reflecting who you are to the world and what you’re capable of projecting.
“Captain Cook by Angela”]
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“Captain Cook” is inspired by a really close friend of the Gebhardt’s. Although he is a modern day yachtsman he has an old-time-ship captain’s heart. Currently hanging in their home, Angela painted this a couple of years ago. Angela intentionally paints an abstract form of portraiture that blends personality traits that define the “true” essence of a person. This is also the same reason she doesn’t like for people to see their own portraits in case they don’t quite grasp expressionism and may get offended. For Angela Gebhardt her portraits are a recording of that persons charisma and personality, not a recording of their mere surface appearance.
