Carmel Magazine

ines the impact of human plastics and other refuse on the marine ecosystem through a series of still lifes of found trash items arranged and photographed against a variety of resonant back- grounds. The ar tist is currently working on a new series, "Balancing Cultures," that fur ther explores his personal fami- ly history and its influences on his ar tis- tic and philosophical development. "Like many ar tists, I create ar t to make sense of the world and myself, and as an ar tist, I feel a responsibility to use my medium to illuminate issues that are impor tant to me," he says. "Ar t doesn't live on walls but in our hear ts and minds. With 'False Food,' I consciously chose to fabricate allegorical beauty from authentic tragedy so that the truth of the nar- rative might survive." Finding one's personal truths and the means to express them is the fundamental rationale behind the PIE Labs, Takigawa emphasizes. And while creativity itself cannot be taught, Takigawa believes the PIE Labs workshops can help encourage and catalyze an individual's innate capacity for creativity. "PIE Labs can help photographers find their unique artistic voice or vision by focusing on their personal and cre- ative development," he says. The second series of workshops planned for November affirms the CPA's ongoing commitment to sup- porting local artists while also promot- ing a broader appreciation for the tradi- tions of photography here on the Monterey Peninsula. Of particular significance to the CPA's mission, says Takigawa, is the PIE Labs emphasis on the more purely creative components of photographic image- making versus the more technical aspects that have long dominated the medium. "In the CPA's [five-decade] history, including the legacy history of the Friends of Photography, there have only been a couple of isolated exam- 258 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • S U M M E R / F A L L 2 0 1 5 "She Loved,"by Susan Hyde Green. (mended composite pigment print) "Glow,"by Pamela Takigawa. (montotype)

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