Exhibit: Randall Magahay

Artist's statement:

My name is Randall Magahay and I became a photographer in the late 1990’s. 

I use a variety of old-fashioned medium format film cameras, primarily a Mamiya 645, a Fuji 645, a Fuji  6x9 and also a 6x9 wooden pinhole camera handmade by a craftsman in Portland, Oregon. 

I have taken a variety of classes in the Portland area over the years, with Pat Bognar at the Oregon  school of art and Craft, with various teachers at the now-closed Newspace center for photography and  with Mike Riches at Portland Community College, which, by the way, has an excellent darkroom at their  SE Portland campus. 

I enjoy the process of turning scenes I have viewed into something tangible using methods that are  hundreds of years old and somehow it is still magical seeing it reappear before my eyes on paper. While  the actual photo taking is only a fraction of a second, turning it into a picture on paper takes about an  hour per picture. 

My wife and I have done a fair bit of travelling into the lonely corners of eastern Oregon and  Washington state, with me photographing whatever catches my eye in the back alleys and woodsy byways and small towns that we visit. 

I love the trees and rocks, the old garages and forgotten churches and schoolhouses, rusty hardware and  wheels, corrals and vehicles. 

I hope you enjoy seeing this sampling of what can be seen in our beautiful backyard. 

If you have questions about the places or processes, or wish to purchase a print to hang in your house, I  can be found at randallmagahay@gmail.com or (503) 774-9783.

The exhibit is available for viewing July 5-31, during library open hours.