Anyone who wishes a glimpse of authentic scenery in the Old Dominion should first make a visit to The Stanardsville Station (on Main Street next to Maybelle’s) where an exciting photography exhibit by Patricia Temples is currently on display. The Art Guild of Greene, in collaboration with the Stanardsville United Methodist Church, is honored to offer this exhibition to the community. The show will continue through the end of June. Admission is free and all are welcome.

Twenty-nine framed photographs comprise this exhibition, offering sightings into the hidden and frequently forgotten remnants of rural life in the backwoods and by-ways of this beautiful state. Pat’s motto, “Make It an Adventure”, is evident when one views her images. In her travels throughout the state, she has sought out subjects that echo another time and place, displaying a reverence for the land and the people who have inhabited it.

Pat is especially drawn to subjects that demonstrate the changes that often occur over time. Several of her images show structures in different seasons, sometimes spanning years. Occasionally, she will return to a site to photograph a subject and find that it has disappeared, due to the ravages of nature or commercialization. A prime example is her collection of three photographs of a farm on Madison-Hood Road, located on the left as one heads towards US 29. Pat notes that “ I’ve always considered it the best managed farm I’ve ever seen. The fields are groomed and perfect in all seasons.” Pat had the foresight to photograph the barn during three seasons to show the changes over time. Today, there is an empty space where the barn once stood.

In two other photographs, Pat has documented a charming caboose as it sat in Rapidan and as it has now been restored and returned to its original home in Nelson County. Her enthusiasm for “capturing an historical moment” is also evident in the way she has presented an assemblage of photographs of the horses at Montpelier. The six images are encased in an original window that was salvaged from the Montpelier barns that were built in the 1920s using prefabricated Sears building kits.

Of special interest is a unique process that Pat describes as “woven photography”. In these, she has printed two slightly different photographs of a single subject, subtly changing the saturation and colors in each. She then cuts the photographs into strips and weaves them together, creating exciting optical effects. Her most recent woven photograph is of a tree in Big Meadows, although there are several other examples in the show.

A Virginia native, Pat began her career in education as a teacher, school counselor and social worker. Moving to Greene County in retirement, she began to pursue photography seriously, joining the Charlottesville Camera Club and taking classes to perfect new skills. Her photography achievements include numerous appearances and awards in Virginia Wildlife Magazine Photography Contests, in shows at the Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community Juried Art Exhibitions, the Bath County Annual Art Show in Hot Springs, VA, and the Appalachian Mountain Photography Contest in Boone, NC. Her most extensive work was the Voices of the Land project for the Blue Ridge Foothills Conservancy, for which she produced a photo exhibit and a DVD documenting life on a dairy farm in Greene County. Most recently, several of her photographs of Greene County were selected by the Greene County Public Schools to be hung as large murals in new additions to the high school and the middle school.

Committed to the community in which she lives, Pat has used her skills as a photographer in support of many worthwhile projects. She has been responsible for photographing the 100-plus barn quilts that appear throughout the County for the Art Guild of Greene. Recently, she presented programs to both the Greene County Historical Society and the local JABA group on the trees of Greene County.

This remarkable photography exhibition allows the community to share in and be enriched by the vision of Pat Burton Temples. (It is possible to see more of Pat’s photographs on her website: www.patriciatemplesphotography.com) The Stanardsville Station is generally open Tuesday-Thursday from 10 -3 and The Art Guild of Greene provides volunteers on occasional Fridays and Saturdays. Operated as a community outreach center by the Stanardsville United Methodist Church, The Stanardsville Station offer free internet access and a place for friends to gather over a cup of coffee. All are welcome. Patricia Temples’ photography exhibition will be on display until the end of June. This show is a “must-see”!