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Seidl has been painting much longer then she has been taking pictures (her personal history with photography is only about 5 years old).  Still, she shows herself to be not only comfortable but quite adept with the newer medium.  All of this raises a few questions: Why would a seasoned painter want to pick up the camera? Why not color photography? Has one medium affected the other? 

Claire Seidl - installation view

One can only speculate as to the answers but in large part the work speaks for itself. Clearly the artist is interested in exploring territory outside the realm of painting. Black & white photography is a great vehicle for this because it sets up interesting

Claire Seidl - installation view

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Claire Seidl - installation view

limitations (to a painter) while opening another world of possibilities. Since Seidl has mastered color in her paintings its absence must pose a tantalizing challenge. And with the opportunity to compare both side by side you see how the painting has more affected the photography rather then the other way round.

The danger in presenting these contrasting mediums is that the differences could be too disparate, too conflicting. In this Seidl has met the challenge of presenting work that does not appear to be made by two different artists.  The paintings dominate as would be expected given the artist�s experience with, commitment to and focus on the medium.  Also, the paintings offer the variety of size plus the quality and depth of color to steal the show a bit.  However, because of the aforementioned similarities and differences between the mediums, this exhibition is all the richer for the inclusion of the photography which still manages to hold its own.

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