Review

"Shiny No. 1," Photographic Print.

Megan Barnes

7-10 p.m.
(Opening reception)

Central Avenue Arts
556 1/2 Central Ave.
Kansas City, KS
424.646.3426

By appointment after opening reception.
Runs through: July 2.

Think "portrait" and "photography" in the same sentence, and the word "face" (or "faces") quickly joins the party.

That's partially the case with Megan Barnes's first show of photographs, which opens tonight in the artist's own Central Avenue Arts space in Kansas City, Kan. Only partially, though.

Of the 10 images, six are conventional portraits. Two are of Barnes' father, his lined face suggesting he could tell some interesting stories. Four more are of a young nephew who, by eight months of age, had already mastered the knack of knowing when the lens was pointed his way and responding photogenically.

But Barnes's father is also represented by the condiments of Shiny No. 1, today's featured image, and her mother by three nature shots Barnes took during a shared trip to Branson.

To Barnes, those are just as much portraits as anything showing a face.

"They're emotional portraits," she said last night, while preparing the space for tonight's opening reception. "There are different ways you can see your family."

Barnes, who has transformed the upper level of a former boarding house (and a dance hall before that) into a cluster of studios with a central display space, explained how the countertop still life of Shiny No. 1 stands in for her father.

"My dad spends so much time at Waffle House that we called it his office," she said. "We were there, and the shiny condiments caught my eye, and I started taking pictures of them, because they were shiny and I am a squirrel."

Attention issues aside, Barnes is (pardon the expression) focused on developing her art. She has no formal training, but shows an aptitude for composing shots and capturing personalities.

"I recently discovered that both of my parents were photographers of the amateur ilk before I was born," she says. "Apparently, it's just something we've all done at this age."

Only Barnes can decide whether she sticks with her own art as well as showcasing others. But this first show is a promising start, both visually and as a way for viewers to mentally compose their own faceless portraits of loved ones.

-re-

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