The Difference Between Looking and Seeing

On May 19th, 2013, from 5:00pm – 8:00pm, Art & Framing by Munro Gallery held a special VIP event to celebrate community, friendship and art. It was a beautiful evening of wine, hors d’oeuvres and featured the works of Edward Thomas Masterson.

This exhibition is a series of photographs of everyday objects and events – things we look at daily but never stop to admire their beauty.  This is the difference between looking and seeing.  The image called Curb Appeal is a perfect example of this irony.  The beauty of the private world of a puddle of water is captured in graphic detail.  From the kaleidoscope of colors of the wet leaves, to the tone on tone textures of the cobble stone street.  A simple puddle normally avoided is transformed into a powerful image.

The Artist

Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you have already been exposed to Ed Masterson’s commercial work.  He has focused his camera lens on the campaigns of such advertising icons as Ford Motor Company, the US Navy, IBM and the US Army.  His celebrity shoots include Jayne Seymoure, Arnold Palmer, Duran Duran, and England’s Prince Charles & Andrew.  But what you may not have realized until this evening, is that Ed Masterson is a formally trained artist with a body of fine-art photography ranging from delicate abstract compositions of paper and cloth to vividly still-life of water and leaves.

Ed Masterson started his professional career as an artist in Philadelphia working at the advertising studios of Mel Richman.  Ed relocated to California in 1970 where he continued his commercial work.  In addition to fine-art and photography, Ed has lectured for Polaroid, Fuji Film and the United Nations.  In 1991 Ed was invited to China where he taught at China’s major universities on the subject of advertising design and photography.

To learn more about Art & Framing by Munro Gallery and to see some examples of their unique framing, visit them on www.MunroGallery.com, follow them on Facebook or swing by the store in the Torrey Hills Shopping Center.