Artist Reception for Mark True and Al Kratz: Merge

Check out Merge, the new multimedia exhibit at the JPL Art Gallery featuring 10 short stories by author Al Kratz paired with 10 black-and-white photos by photographer Mark True. The 16" x 16" pieces are presented in 10 pairs, with each artist responding to the other's work to create the full series. Al and Mark will be available to discuss their work on Thursday, October 17, from 6 to 7 p.m. We hope you stop by!

Al Kratz writes literary, character-focused, narratives exploring philosophical themes. He agrees with Henry James that the most interesting subject is a fine but bewildered mind dealing with life. He writes in many forms including short and long fiction, poetry, and non-fiction. He often uses humor to explore conventional events in unconventional ways. His goal for the work is for it to be as entertaining as it is informative. More about his work can be explored at alkratz.com.

As a trained journalist, writer, graphic designer, and marketer, Mark True has always tried to understand a subject’s essence, document it, and communicate it to others in a way that engages, challenges, or informs. He's worked with acrylics on canvas and built assemblages with found objects. Only through the lens of a camera, however, does he truly represent the primary subject accurately, so that he can focus on telling a compelling story, starting with an implied “Once upon a time…”. True is naturally drawn to rural spaces and the people, architecture, and landscapes representing the heartland's past, present, and future. He works in color and black and white, equally at home capturing the breadth of a scene or an abstract slice. Whether people, places, or things, much of True's work features a simple, graphic composition that isolates the subject within its larger, contextual environment. Other images are intimately cropped to draw viewers into the subject’s world or create an abstract perspective.