Plastic Fantastic Show III

Juror’s Statement

I am forever inspired and enthused by the ingenuity of artists who break the rules and make something undeniably their own by using the most basic of tools. Due to the technical limitations of toy camera photography, many photographers become content by merely recreating dreamy effects and a complementary mood. But artists who take it one step further, such as Matthew Cetta, S. Gayle Stevens, Erin Malone and Daniel Grant stand out from the crowd and should be applauded for creating wonderfully unique imagery with these simplistic, optically challenged cameras.

Being asked to juror the Plastic Fantastic contest for the second year in a row was a great honor. Thank you to Michael and Chelsea for entrusting me with this great privilege. I congratulate all of the selected exhibitors and applaud everyone who submitted.

-Susan Burnstine June 2012

First Place Award

Matthew Cetta’s first place image Ammonia from his series Photogenic Alchemy is a visual and technical delight. What may have been just an average image of the Brooklyn Bridge becomes something truly fabulous through his use of a microwave and alternative chemical treatments. He asked himself the most important question, “What if?” and created something truly fabulous.

Second Place Award

Second place winner, S. Gayle Stevens is a modern day alchemist who bends, breaks and redesigns the rules. She is one of the most imaginative practitioners in alternative photography and last year’s first place winner. Once again, she has offered us another unforgettable and haunting image with Emergence of Darkness.

Third Place Award

Erin Malone ‘s Something Still Remains Undone is a quiet, majestic and affecting image, elevated to magnificence via the photogravure process.

Honorable Mention

It’s not an easy task to create an effectively seductive image with a toy camera. But Daniel Grant’s knocked it out of the ballpark with his image, The Couch. As part of his series My Affair With Diana, The Couch leaves as much to the imagination as it reveals, making this a truly mysterious, alluring image.