October 3, 2006 > Last chance to see Marvin Wax

by Arathi Satish

Olive Hyde Art Gallery is currently displaying more than70 photographs in a retrospective by master Bay Area photographer/designer Marvin Wax. He has expressed his ideas by adopting the camera as his creative tool. The photographs include a wide variety of subjects like California desert, trees, leaves, sea shells, local graffiti and the people encountered during his travels to different places like Costa Rica, Mexico, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Israel, Siberia and Bali.

Design dominates the content and look of his photographs. The pictures of leaves are striking and makes one wait impatiently for the fall months. Marvin has taken excellent pictures of the trees in Stanford. They reveal the stature and grandeur that he associates them with in his explanation that goes along with the photographs. The pictures of the cactus found in Stanford highlight form and texture.

The photographs of graffiti are colorful and symbolic. Marvin Wax points out, "My intent via camera was to isolate parts of the concrete canvas. Amazing juxtaposition of graphic elements become complete by itself."

Marvin Wax's pictures of different places and people reveal his personal warmth, compassion and sensitivity to the concerns of his subjects. Pictures of Portugal, Italy, Siberia, Jerusalem, and Point Lobos are impressive. Marvin himself notes, "As the camera comes within inches of the subjects there is an amazing revelation of color, form and texture."

The artist's new work includes network photographs entitled gradient #1 and gradient #2. Marvin concludes, "Past efforts suggest and lead to present effort. You are looking at work that has been sparked by the usage of photographs and a strange inclusion of square forms. I am playing with color variations and overlaps."

A major retrospective exhibition, by Marvin Wax
Thursday-Sunday
Noon to 5:00 p.m.
The exhibit runs through October 7
Olive Hyde Art Gallery
123 Washington Blvd., Fremont
(510) 791-4357