Amanda Tinker’s exhibit at Southern Light Gallery reflects nature’s beauty

Amanda Tinker uses a large-format camera and historic processes to create evocative images of uniquely arranged elements in nature – photographs that will be on display for several weeks at Amarillo College’s Southern Light Gallery.

Tinker, who was shortlisted for the Hariban Award, International Collotype Competition in 2018, will display her series, Small Animal, Nov. 21 to Jan. 26 at the College.

The Southern Light Gallery is located on the first floor of the Ware Student Commons on AC’s Washington Street Campus. It is free and open to the public.

According to Tinker’s artist statement, “nature’s small beauties, such as birds, butterflies, twigs, and petals become objects of contemplation. They are curios drawn from my family garden, children’s books, and vintage identification guides and organized into layered configurations,” her statement points out.

Tinker has been teaching the history of photography and 19th century processes at Drexel University in Pennsylvania since 2001. In 2020, she was invited to be part of the Rebel Lens at Lonsdale Gallery as part of the Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival in Toronto, Canada.

For Small Animal she used an 8x10-inch view camera and says the large piece of glass at the back of the camera, where each image is composed before exposure, offers inspiration.

“It is a projection screen for my interest in the early history of photography, particularly as a tool for studying nature,” Tinker said. “One can imagine an era just before the dawn of photography where views of nature stirred on the glass of a camera obscura.

“This project, situated in the 21st century, reflects a personal experience of the natural world and considers plants as worthy subjects of art.”

For more information about the Amanda Tinker exhibit or the Southern Light Gallery, please contact René West, associate professor of photography, at rwest@actx.edu or 806-345-5654.