Can we imagine ourselves transformed into a passing cloud or a jumbled rock formation?  Does the pulse of the tides echo the beating of our heart?  Does the magic of our western landscape somehow speak of our dreams?  The recent work of photo-based artist Janyce Erlich-Moss celebrates her rekindled connection with the California landscape in a remarkable new series of digital photo collages.  In her first exhibition at FIG, the artist sets her focus on how the human body relates to shapes found in nature and explores our spiritual connection with our natural surroundings. The merging of human form with landscape imagery can be seen as a metaphor for our relationship with the physical world we live in.  This connection between our human existence and Mother Earth has intrigued us since ancient times and continues to be a fertile theme for artists.

“Upon returning to California after many years of living back East, I now see its scenic beauty with fresh eyes. I have a sense of its dreamlike qualities and hidden spiritual essence as well as its aesthetic appeal. As I reconnect with California, I better understand why indigenous peoples around the world have believed that all the things that make up their natural environment are animated and alive. I can feel a life force in the plants, rocks, coastline, mountains, and deserts of Southern California. This series is an effort to explore and represent that palpable force that somehow connects humans with the elements of nature.

“This body of work represents a departure from my prior art. Previously, I have exhibited black and white pinhole photographs, Polaroid transfers, mixed media constructions, and large format black and white scenic photographs. Unlike any of my previous work, in this work, I have digitally merged landscapes with human forms. The compositions include many anthropomorphic shapes that harken back to a tradition in 17^th Century Dutch painting.  For me, it captures the hidden soul of the place that underlies it’s obvious and profound beauty. I am celebrating my return to California with a new perspective, and a new technique.  

“These digital photo collages are printed on archival paper and face-mounted on acrylic.”

Janyce Erlich-Moss is a multidisciplinary artist exploring innovative ways of seeing and presenting her work. Venues for one-person exhibitions of her work include the Carnegie Museum of Natural History (Pittsburgh, PA.), ibiCASA in Ibiza, Spain and the Southern Alleghenies Museums of Art (Altoona and Johnstown, PA.). Other one-person exhibits include the Studio Gallery (Washington, D.C.), The National Institutes of Health (Bethesda, MD.), Manchester Craftsman’s Guild (Pittsburgh, PA.) and LA ArtCore Gallery in Los Angeles. Her work has been included in invitational exhibitions at the Carnegie Museum of Art and the Maine Photographic Resources Workshops   Her photographs can be found in the collections of the Polaroid Corporation, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, University of Pittsburgh, George Washington University, Indiana Hospital, Centimark Corporation, and Equitable Resources.

Originally from Los Angeles, Ms. Erlich-Moss earned her BA in Art at California State University, Northridge and her MFA in Photography at George Washington University in Washington, D.C.

For further information please contact Jeff Gambill, Director.