Lumen artists shed light on their process and inspiration
- Jennifer Gillia Cutshall
- Jun 10
- 6 min read
Updated: Jun 11
"Lumen felt like an invitation to look across various bodies of work for the images that used light in the most dynamic, captivating or beautiful ways. Which is perhaps a huge pursuit of photography in general, but I took the question as inspiration to think of my work purely on this level for a moment, regardless of which thematic universe I was in.
The work that surfaced, "Aubade", is about shadow, human form, mystery, sensuality, the particular qualities of morning light. This photograph was made at a friend's house in the desert of Joshua Tree in winter, where the sunrise over the distant hills is dramatic, sudden, all-encompassing really, where the house goes from the cold of desert night to warming quite dramatically when the sun fills the room."
Quinlan Corbett
KAREN RUSSO
"From the humble origins of clay to the ethereal realm of stardust, the concept of lightness transcends the gravitational constraints of our physical world. In my mixed-media ceramic sculpture, “Rising Spirit ~ Shedding Her Skin,” the physical manifestation is liberated from the limitations imposed by the earth, poised to ascend towards the heavens. Through the transformative power of illumination, her spirit is now released into the boundless expanse of
the Great Mystery."
Karen Russo
MARIA BOTTI VILLEGAS
"I think of light as an awakener, sometimes transparent,
sometimes a dense substance, which, with infinite strokes,
creates and modulates, allowing us to experience the reflections
of our inner world."
Maria Botti Villegas
LIZ THORESEN
"One of the benefits of aging is using what one has experienced to help us make smart decisions; and gain wisdom, empathy and gratitude.
“Seeing the light” was the inspiration for my painting, “Going Places”.
To see the light means to suddenly understand something you didn’t understand before and to reevaluate our attitudes. “Going Places” suggests a new direction; being open to change, breaking free of the restrictive confines of a former mindset and the willingness to see things differently.
SALLY THORNTON
My LUMEN exhibition sculpture "Happy Hiker" is
My ode to the warmth of the sun, my connection with nature and solitude.
Thank you light, for your beauty and comfort.
I reach up to meet you.
I sway and dance to celebrate your gift.
I feel like I am floating through your river of illumination.
I feel so grateful.
I feel so lucky.
I hang on to this feeling.
It reminds me of hope.
DIANA KOGOS
"There is beauty in ordinary things. Macro photography gives detail and highlights the world that most of us do not notice. A mundane raindrop on a spider web can become monumental."
Diana Kogos
"In the right light, at the right time, everything is extraordinary.” – Aaron Rose
TOM ACEVEDO
"I was originally drawn to Verum Ultimum when I saw the online exhibits during covid. Jennifer was one of the first I saw providing online exhibits with virtual walk throughs and I soon followed on Instagram. Drawn to curated selections of each show and how the gallery could so perfectly "illuminate" a light on the theme in a way that was subtle and encompassing. Its been a pleasure following the gallery and seeing the exhibits and I am happy to show again with Verum Ultimum.
Each of my paintings is revealed to me through meditation. I use a masculine vulnerability to tell a story that shines a light on the dark parts of the psyche. When I clear away the wreckage of the past the spirit of the universe has an opportunity to shine. When my ultimate desire is to be a comforting hand on someone's back or tell a story that even just one person can understand then I'm doing the right thing, if my work is driven by what someone wants to buy then my work is not authentic."
Tom Acevedo
LEONA GAMBLE
"The Snake We Carry reflects on the burdens and wisdom passed from woman to
woman, woven thread by thread through generations. The serpentine cloth in the painting becomes both weight and knowing, trailing through darkness as the figures each carry their own relationship to it. Light touches the body where understanding begins. Like modern echoes of the three graces, they move together, illuminating the path, holding memory, and stepping toward the unknown."
Leona Gamble
MICHELLE LATTANZI
"As a dedicated swimmer at the outdoor pool of my youth, I would marvel at the prisms and patterns created by wavelengths of bent light in the water; shadows, rainbows, gleams. The silent ripples of a splash, the steady vibration of rain drops, and the enigmatic reflections cast on the pool structure were just as amazing to my young mind. As an adult, I can spend day-in, day-out capturing the moods of such moments with a camera lens."
Michelle Lattanzi
HARRY LONGSTREET
"No one just takes up space. My focus is on humanism, the human condition... an entire canvas of thoughts, emotions and reactions to circumstances. I try to capture the truth about diverse people and how they live and reflect their respective spaces. Never posed and always available light... which can be dramatic on its own."
Harry Longstreet
SARAH TRAVIS BUCK
"I am drawn to the way light and shadow carve out space, giving form to the natural world while simultaneously reflecting the internal landscapes of emotion and memory. My work explores outer environments and inner experiences, using shifting light, movement, and color to capture not just a place, but a feeling. Through these painted moments, I hope to use light to convey a sense of both clarity and mystery.”
Sarah Travis Buck
J. R. MOYER
"Verum Ultimums' exhibition themed "Lumen" is an ideal backdrop to display my light sculptures. There is emotion at play in the interaction between light and shadow... Between light source and wood. By combining fascinating and complex driftwood with organic shapes of shades using natural papers , I hope to create a unique and introspective space."
J.R. Moyer
Whisp in the Trees, Foxtail, and Cave Moon by J. R. Moyer
VERONICA GRAY
Light is an integral part of composing and making a photographic image. Combined with color and texture, light is the magical component albeit challenging to capture. “We find beauty not in the thing itself but in the patterns of shadows, the light and the darkness, that one thing against another creates… Were it not for shadows, there would be no beauty.” (In Praise of Shadows by Jun'ichiro Tanizaki.)
In “On The River,” the early morning fog dancing with the light was the critical element for the ethereal atmosphere of the image.
DEBBIE TRACEY
"Having grown up on the island of Kauai, the ocean has been a constant presence in my life—both a playground and a place of deep reflection. I’ve spent countless hours immersed in its rhythms, its light, and its mystery. When I saw the call for Lumen, I immediately thought of the way light interacts with water—how sunlight dances across the surface, how moonlight pierces the depths, and how even the softest glow can transform the sea into something magical.
My piece, Moonlit Ocean, was born from one of those quiet, powerful moments—watching the moon cast its silvery trail across the water. It’s not just a memory, but a feeling I wanted to capture: the stillness, the shimmer, and the sense that the ocean holds light as a sacred language. This exhibit felt like the perfect place to share that vision, where light becomes more than illumination—it becomes emotion, memory, and connection."
Debbie Tracey
ANGELA GUNNOE
"Light and shadow are key elements in my artistic practice. I am drawn to the use of light as a metaphor for seeking, illuminating, and knowing. Creating images using time exposures and layering multiple images inspires me to see the world in a new way. Light and shadow create a temporary and ever changing space, rendering the ordinary a potentially magical place.
Angela Gunnoe
“They [alchemists, seekers after truth] discover that in the very darkness of nature a light is hidden, a little spark without which the darkness would not be darkness. … The light from above made the darkness still darker; but the lumen naturae is the light of the darkness itself, which illuminates its own darkness, and this light the darkness comprehends.”
from Jung’s Alchemical Studies (shared by Angela Gunnoe)