Local Program: Two Cape Photographers Produce Above and Below the Pond
Two local artists, one taking photos on land, the other underwater, have collaborated to produce Above and Below the Pond which opens February 2 at the Snow Librarys Craine Gallery in Orleans. It is free and open to the public. Susan Baur of North Falmouth, known for writing and illustrating the Turtle Sisters of Cape Cod books, and Marcy Ford of Harwich, known for her nature and wildlife photographs, have teamed up to illustrate the hidden life that thrives both above and below the surface of Cape Cod ponds.
Focussing their attention on ponds from Wellfleet to Falmouth, the two have roamed the woods, combed the shores, and swum through weedy ponds to record both the beauty and the daily habits of the creatures who live in and around the pond ecosystem. They have captured everything from kingfishers and dragon flies who live above the ponds, to swans and plant life that live on the surface and at the edges, to the painted turtles, snappers, and musk turtles who live in the muddy bottom. For both women wandering alone through Nature is what makes them happy. I enjoy being out in the woods, by the ponds at the beaches throughout the year, said Ford. There is so much to see in every season on the Cape, and I love photographing everything from full landscapes, to the birds and animals, all the way down to the tiniest insect or snowflake. Photographing nature is my zen!
Baur emphasizes the obstacles shes had to overcome, like freezing water in November, thick stands of dark weeds, and territorial male snapping turtles the size of small tanks who chase her. The centerpiece of the exhibit is a 12-month calendar display that both shows and tells what is happening above and below ponds throughout the year. Baurs enlarged copies of The Turtle Sisters 2015 Calendar which follows the lives of pond turtles and explains what they are doing each month, are augmented by Fords seasonal photos which show whats going on above the water.
A reception for the artists will be held on Saturday, February 7, from noon to 2 p.m. Attendees at the reception will be given a copy of The Turtle Sisters 2015 Calendar. The calendar is supported in part by a grant from The Chatham Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency. The Craine Gallergy is open during regular Snow Library hours. The show closes February 28.
Marcy Fords work has been featured in Cape Cod Magazine, Chatham Magazine and at local photography shows. Susan Baurs mixed media collages made up of underwater photographs have appeared in the Turtle Sisters books and at The Greenbriar Nature Center in east Sandwich and the Cotuit Center for the Arts.