Gallery spotlights work of photographers

Left of Center to show Shared Ideas, Stolen Spaces through Nov. 22

larry cruikshank/viewArtist and photographer Heather Protz, right, takes a shot of fellow photographer Linda Alterwitz after hanging their Shared Ideas, Stolen Spaces photography exhibit at the Left of Center art gallery, 2207 W. Gowan Road. Advertisement

Left of Center, 2207 W. Gowan Road, may be the only public art gallery in North Las Vegas, but according to owner and director Vicki Richardson, that's a reality that only pushes her to create more dynamic exhibitions.

The nonprofit gallery's latest exhibit opened Sept. 16 and has been dubbed Shared Ideas, Stolen Spaces. It features the work of local photographers Heather Protz and Linda Alterwitz, artists who work extensively with digital techniques for altering and abstracting captured images.

Richardson said she began thinking about creating an exhibit that would feature the work of these two artists almost a year ago, when she'd seen their work separately and recognized potential for a collaborative exhibition.

"The works complemented one another," Richardson said. "That much was obvious. It just clicked. It was only a bonus that they were friends to begin with."

Richardson said she was impressed with their work.

"It was unlike anything I've seen in a while," she said.

Protz and Alterwitz have been working in collaborative efforts for nearly a year, sharing images in composite works and openly discussing techniques and ideas.

"That's why the name of the exhibit really makes sense," Protz said. "We do share ideas regularly. And, it's sort of an inside joke between us. We're always kidding around, accusing each other of copying one another's photos."

Alterwitz said the jabs are all in good fun.

"Even if some of our photographs have a familiar flavor, we put a unique interpretation on them," she said. "I think that our art becomes stronger with the adjoined ideas and segues in the work. We can each take the same concept and put a unique spin on it, and we're richer artists for it."

The exhibit displays more than 20 pieces of digital photography, featuring layered images with subtle transitions and abstracted focal points.

"We photograph everything from architecture to nature," Protz said. "We've tried to capture things in a cool way, like through the reflection of a casino floor, for example."

The pair said they expect that many of the images will be pegged as realistic imagery with a skewed perception.

"That would be ideal," Protz said. "I hope that we can make people really think about the world."

According to Richardson, the gallery probably is best known for hosting informational seminars in connection with the exhibits it hosts.

"We're an educational gallery," Richardson said. "In fact, that is one of our primary missions, to educate the community about art and the artist's process."

Richardson said she only features the work of artists who are willing to do an educational workshop in connection with their medium to benefit the public.

"We try a variety of things at this gallery, but the one criteria I'm a real stickler about is that artists be willing to share their knowledge of mediums with the public," Richardson said.

According to Protz and Alterwitz, the lecture, scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday at the gallery, will detail the process of taking an original image through Adobe Photoshop to get the layered pieces on display in the exhibition.

The exhibit runs through Nov. 22, 1 to 6 p.m. daily. Admission is free.