Great Unknows - Curated by Melchior DiGiacomo

Great Unknowns - Curated by Melchior DiGiacomo
“Full many a flower is born to blossom unseen and waste its sweetness on the desert air” Thomas Gray

In T. S. Elliot’s poem, the Love song of J. Alfred Prufrock. Prufrock asks “Do I dare, do I dare disturb the universe?? The and is simple - of course. Providentially we all possess the tools that assist the creation (which did not end after 6 days) The creation, is on going. If we accept that premise we become part of its building blocks.

The artists shown here have various jobs - Mark P. Reeves, works for PSE&G, John "Gianni" Ferrentino, photographer, Melinda McGuire is a mother of 2 young boys and Stefan Zaklin is a recent graduate of a university and strings for the wire service. They are acutely aware of what Kevin Funabashi said - “The start of their journey in photography begins with the realization that everything which has happened in your life can be put to use simply because it has happened to you and not someone else.”

At times their jobs become tedious and boring but they are enervated by the lyrical images that occupy their thoughts and desires. Their muse is Goethe - “The moment one definitely commits oneself then providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issue from the decision raising in one’s favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. What you can do or dream you can begin it. Boldness has genius, power & magic in it. Begin It Now!”

Melchior DiGiacomo, Curator - Summer 2001

This show features the work of: John Ferrentino, Kevin Funabashi, Mark P. Reeves & Stefan Zaklin

John Ferrentino was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1964 and has lived in Bergen County since 1973. The middle of five brothers, Ferrentino found photography as a means of becoming more than just another brother in the family. While initially exploring this art for what may have been the wrong reasons, he discovered along with others, that not only was he talented, but there was a fond and sincere love for the visual arts.

Adolescence gave birth to Ferrentino's ability to shape, mold and perfect his talent not only as a photographer and artist, but as an observer. Endless hours at a time were spent observing people's habits, gestures, physique and uniqueness. It was then Ferrentino's ambition to capture "human nature" on film. Other photographers started telling him that he was "photogenetic." The didn't mean he looked attractive in pictures, but that photography was in his genes.

A difficult choice of studies faced him following his completion of high school. Well aware of the difficulty to economically survive as a photographer and face constant criticism as an artist, he decided to pursue his education at The School of Visual Arts rather than at a liberal arts college. He felt that if fate should lead him so, he would rather be "a starving photographer than a starving anything else."

Now accompanying his innate talent were the technical skills he needed to facilitate the how's and why's to what he was doing naturally all those years. Confirming this understanding was his receipt of the top national award given by Eastman Kodak Company for excellence in photography. The award winning photograph now hangs in the Eastman Kodak Headquarters in Rochester, NY.

John Ferrentino decided to take on apprenticeships in 1987 with three of the most respected photographers in their fields, George Diebold, in commercial photography; Peter Paige, in architectural and Melchior DiGiacomo, a Newsweek photographer. These experiences however did not change the direction of Ferrentino's focus on portraiture, but enhanced his technical skills enabling him to find innovative ways to incorporate them in his own objectives.

John Ferrentino currently lives in Oradell, NJ and divides his time between commercial portrait assignments for corporations as well as private portrait commissions. Ferrentino is prolific as a fine art photographer producing portraits of regular people on the street to meticulously creating a still life.

To this day, Ferrentino will not sacrifice quality and patience for a profit motive in his endeavors to produce and master the art of photography. To some photographers today, a picture is worth a thousand dollars, to Ferrentino, it is still worth a thousand words.

Mark P Reeves attended NY School of Visual Arts in 1986. Shortly thereafter he was introduced to Mel DiGiacomo who strongly influenced my interest in photography, particularly black and white. Mark's freelanced for NJ Magazine & Photographed the US Open Tennis Championship. He's traveled Internationally photographing in Ireland, Scotland, Italy & Sicily. His work has been show in 4 Bergen County New Jersey shows. Mark is the the winner of the 1991 Public Service Photo Contest & the Overall best in show recipient in The Bergen Record Photo Contest sponsored by Leica Camera.