PHOTO EXHIBIT IN BLADENBORO
David Pickett is going to honor his Bladen County roots with a photo exhibit at the Bladenboro Historical Society and Museum at 818 S. Main St. in Bladenboro. The exhibit opened Sept. 20 and will run until Oct. 26. The gallery hours are 2 - 4 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.
BLADENBORO – Shallotte native David Pickett is honoring his Bladen County roots with a pictorial art exhibit entitled, My Voice, My Roots. Exhibiting since the late 1980’s in various states, this is Pickett first time exhibiting in his mother’s and maternal grandmother’s homestead.
The exhibit is dedicated to his late mother, Annie Merle Marlow, and late grandmother, Gertrude Nettie Faulk Williams, while honoring other family tree members connected to Pickett’s Bladenboro roots. While in the 7th grade, his mother gave him his very first camera on Christmas of 1974.
The 40-piece pictorial art exhibit opened on September 20th and will continue through October 26th. The exhibit will be held on the second floor of the Bladenboro Historic Society and Museum at 818 South Main Street in Bladenboro, NC. The gallery hours are 2 pm to 4 pm on Saturdays and Sundays.
Pickett’s pictorial art display will consist of a collection of black-and-white, and color photographs that capture the love, peace, beauty, and uniqueness of subjects in NC, SC, GA, AL, WVA, TN, and VA. The pictorial collection is composed of people, spiritual themes, waterscapes, nature, Veteran memorials, and landscapes whose natural splendor has been magnified through the lens of Pickett’s cameras. All the photographs were captured with his film and digital cameras.
Pickett states that his photography is a calling, and God’s gift to him. He does not hesitate to add that his work is to glorify the Creator, and to show God’s hand working through him. Furthermore, Pickett said, “God’s photographic vision for me is inspired by the Holy Spirit, birthed within my heart, and then reflected upon my soul for my naked eyes to see and my camera lens to capture.
Pickett said viewers will witness photographs that are interesting, spiritually and visually stimulating, and filled tranquility and hidden beauty that many people unconsciously walk by daily. He says, often people watch him photograph scenery only to ask-“What do you see?” his response, don’t you see it: the hidden beauty and peace of God’s Country.
At Pickett’s pictorial art exhibit, you are assured to be touched spiritually or experience an emotional “awe”. In addition to dramatic lighting and stunning waterfalls, your heart will also be drawn to a photograph of an outdoor baptism in Jones Lake. Also, one will awe over a shot taken in the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia, titled “The Angel Walking Amongst the Dogwood Trees, Rocks, and Pretty Waters”. Yes, in spirit and mind, you will see an angel with the eye of your soul.
One of Pickett’s oldest photographs date back to the summer of 1981, the time when he purchased his very first 35 mm camera. It is a classic picture of 72-year-old identical twins in front of the old F.W. Woolworth store in downtown Asheville, NC. If you concentrate hard enough, you will see a reflection of Pickett and his camera on the storefront window. In addition, if you have never seen a true Buddhist Monk from Thailand or never viewed churning water that looks like snow crawling across rocks and boulders, then you are certainly in for a real treat. And his all-time favorite photograph called Lady Fishing, will be showcased.
Lastly, throughout the exhibit, comments can be read about Pickett’s passion for photography. You will also discover his introspective view of how God uses him as an instrument to create pictorial art that is divine in nature and uplifting for people to enjoy. Pickett is also the cousin of the late TV and movie star, Diane Carroll. Diane’s mother and Pickett’s maternal grandmother are first cousins.