Solo Show: Ann- Marie Donahue
As the First Place winner of L.A. Photo Curator’s “From Your Archive”, Ann-Marie Donahue is presented in this special online solo exhibition featuring work from three of her photographic series.
This exhibition offers a broader look at her practice beyond the winning image, bringing together three distinct bodies of work that reveal the ideas, visual language, and perspective that shape her photography.
Ann Marie Donahue is a fine art and commercial photographer and actor living in Los Angeles. An East Coast transplant who came to Southern California by way of San Francisco, her inspiration, like her work, is multifaceted. Growing up as a part of a large family in which photographs were taken at every occasion, her work in photography began in her teens. Attending Main Media Workshops further developed her love for the art form as well as her talent.
As comfortable in front of the camera as she was behind it, Ann Marie quickly discovered photography to be a great tool for both collaborations with others and for self-expression in her fine art, which was the catalyst for her expanding into both commercial and fine art photography work.
Ann Marie's fine art photography spans black and white landscapes, known for evoking a haunting sense of the divine, to her series on porcelain figurines, titled "The Ladies", which takes on an impressionistic quality as it moves the viewer through past family memories. Her work has been exhibited in various galleries and publications, as well as in several private collections across the country. She works in both analog and digital photography.
If viewing on a computer click on the arrow to see Donahue's work
This exhibition offers a broader look at her practice beyond the winning image, bringing together three distinct bodies of work that reveal the ideas, visual language, and perspective that shape her photography.
Ann Marie Donahue is a fine art and commercial photographer and actor living in Los Angeles. An East Coast transplant who came to Southern California by way of San Francisco, her inspiration, like her work, is multifaceted. Growing up as a part of a large family in which photographs were taken at every occasion, her work in photography began in her teens. Attending Main Media Workshops further developed her love for the art form as well as her talent.
As comfortable in front of the camera as she was behind it, Ann Marie quickly discovered photography to be a great tool for both collaborations with others and for self-expression in her fine art, which was the catalyst for her expanding into both commercial and fine art photography work.
Ann Marie's fine art photography spans black and white landscapes, known for evoking a haunting sense of the divine, to her series on porcelain figurines, titled "The Ladies", which takes on an impressionistic quality as it moves the viewer through past family memories. Her work has been exhibited in various galleries and publications, as well as in several private collections across the country. She works in both analog and digital photography.
If viewing on a computer click on the arrow to see Donahue's work
Self-Portraits #8453
Self-Portraits #8454
Self-Portraits #8455
FIRST PLACE
FIRST PLACE
Self-Portraits (4x5 images)
Ann-Marie Donahue says, "This series began as an extension of an earlier body of self-portrait work, moving from 35mm into large format. I was very interested in what gestures mixed with light felt like. I found myself thinking more deliberately about movement, light, and place before ever releasing the shutter. Being the director of these images felt powerful to me.
At times I imagined this woman as a ghost; other times, as someone fleeing, or slipping into another dimension entirely. I was drawn to movement that felt like it was happening just outside the frame — a gesture caught mid-thought, not fully explained.
Much of my work carries a dreamlike quality, and this series is no exception. I'm interested in what happens when a large negative meets light and tonality — the smoothness of the grain, the way a photograph can hold both physical detail and something more atmospheric. Duane Michals's portraits, which I encountered in the mid-'90s, left a lasting impression on me in this regard: that sense of something having just occurred, or about to.
Looking at these images today, I see more than I did when I made them. There's a vulnerability I didn't fully register at the time. Chaos and peace seem co-exist. I recognize the carefree, inquisitive person who made this work, but I also see someone testing the edges of her own comfort, putting herself in front of the camera again to find out what she'd discover. Self-portraiture is an essential practice for any artist, in my opinion."
If viewing on a computer click on the arrow to see Donahue's work
Ann-Marie Donahue says, "This series began as an extension of an earlier body of self-portrait work, moving from 35mm into large format. I was very interested in what gestures mixed with light felt like. I found myself thinking more deliberately about movement, light, and place before ever releasing the shutter. Being the director of these images felt powerful to me.
At times I imagined this woman as a ghost; other times, as someone fleeing, or slipping into another dimension entirely. I was drawn to movement that felt like it was happening just outside the frame — a gesture caught mid-thought, not fully explained.
Much of my work carries a dreamlike quality, and this series is no exception. I'm interested in what happens when a large negative meets light and tonality — the smoothness of the grain, the way a photograph can hold both physical detail and something more atmospheric. Duane Michals's portraits, which I encountered in the mid-'90s, left a lasting impression on me in this regard: that sense of something having just occurred, or about to.
Looking at these images today, I see more than I did when I made them. There's a vulnerability I didn't fully register at the time. Chaos and peace seem co-exist. I recognize the carefree, inquisitive person who made this work, but I also see someone testing the edges of her own comfort, putting herself in front of the camera again to find out what she'd discover. Self-portraiture is an essential practice for any artist, in my opinion."
If viewing on a computer click on the arrow to see Donahue's work
Déjà Vu #8456
Déjà Vu #8457
Déjà Vu #8458
Déjà Vu
We all experience déjà vu at times. When I have this fleeting feeling I wonder where it occurred. Was it in a dream, from a past experience or perhaps another time? That's what interests me: often we cannot pinpoint an exact moment that is triggered by an image, but we know a prior experience must be there.
This series discovers these pasts by photographing in film with my plastic camera. I use a specific setting on my Holga which melds the images together in camera. The images can repeat or merge together creating a dreamscape. These images express a fleeting impression of a place as a memory. I invite the viewer to stay a bit looking as it may conjure a prior experience.
CLICK ON THE ARROW TO SEE ANN-MARIE DONAHUE'S WORK
We all experience déjà vu at times. When I have this fleeting feeling I wonder where it occurred. Was it in a dream, from a past experience or perhaps another time? That's what interests me: often we cannot pinpoint an exact moment that is triggered by an image, but we know a prior experience must be there.
This series discovers these pasts by photographing in film with my plastic camera. I use a specific setting on my Holga which melds the images together in camera. The images can repeat or merge together creating a dreamscape. These images express a fleeting impression of a place as a memory. I invite the viewer to stay a bit looking as it may conjure a prior experience.
CLICK ON THE ARROW TO SEE ANN-MARIE DONAHUE'S WORK
The Ladies #8459
The Ladies #8460
The Ladies #8461
The Ladies –
"My mom started collecting figurines in her early twenties during the 1950’s. At first, it was one purchase a year. Then she started exchanging gifts with some of her sisters. Soon, she had 3 or 4 new additions each year. I love these porcelain creatures. I’ll never forget anxiously awaiting as my mom and aunts opened their boxes at Christmas. Which lady would it be and what would her dress look like? What color is her hair? My aunts would quickly dust them off and stick them in a glass cabinet. I could see them behind the glass wanting to get out. My mom on the other hand accents the dining room table and living room with these ladies – in red dresses for Christmas, green dresses for spring…. They are odd little trinkets, a bit creepy, and absolutely beautiful.
I wanted to capture their delicate features, their minute gestures. Each lady seemed to be frozen in a moment – getting ready for a party, flirting, teaching a class. They have such dramatic flair that comes alive when captured on film. I don’t see dusty, porcelain dolls. What I see are passionate and emotional beings.
I used color slide film to closely examine the detail of their shiny skin, intense eyes and beautiful dresses. Their ghostly gloss can alienate the viewer, so I decided to add another layer by making polaroid transfers of them. Their spooky veneer morphs into a more intimate glow, and the mood becomes warmer. I feel as if I am looking at old family photos of women or pictures dead family relatives. After looking at the tiny polaroid transfers, I decided to enlarge them on archival paper or sometimes on fabric for a more theatrical aesthetic. Having never seen them enlarged before, I was surprised to see how impressionistic they feel.
I incorporate this haunting quality into many of my photographs. Growing up in an old home and being part of a large family has influenced how I see the world. I am the youngest of five children and have many aunts and uncles. Plenty of lore gets passed down in large families. By the time I came around, my family had many tales of people from their past. The LADIES depict this other world."
"My mom started collecting figurines in her early twenties during the 1950’s. At first, it was one purchase a year. Then she started exchanging gifts with some of her sisters. Soon, she had 3 or 4 new additions each year. I love these porcelain creatures. I’ll never forget anxiously awaiting as my mom and aunts opened their boxes at Christmas. Which lady would it be and what would her dress look like? What color is her hair? My aunts would quickly dust them off and stick them in a glass cabinet. I could see them behind the glass wanting to get out. My mom on the other hand accents the dining room table and living room with these ladies – in red dresses for Christmas, green dresses for spring…. They are odd little trinkets, a bit creepy, and absolutely beautiful.
I wanted to capture their delicate features, their minute gestures. Each lady seemed to be frozen in a moment – getting ready for a party, flirting, teaching a class. They have such dramatic flair that comes alive when captured on film. I don’t see dusty, porcelain dolls. What I see are passionate and emotional beings.
I used color slide film to closely examine the detail of their shiny skin, intense eyes and beautiful dresses. Their ghostly gloss can alienate the viewer, so I decided to add another layer by making polaroid transfers of them. Their spooky veneer morphs into a more intimate glow, and the mood becomes warmer. I feel as if I am looking at old family photos of women or pictures dead family relatives. After looking at the tiny polaroid transfers, I decided to enlarge them on archival paper or sometimes on fabric for a more theatrical aesthetic. Having never seen them enlarged before, I was surprised to see how impressionistic they feel.
I incorporate this haunting quality into many of my photographs. Growing up in an old home and being part of a large family has influenced how I see the world. I am the youngest of five children and have many aunts and uncles. Plenty of lore gets passed down in large families. By the time I came around, my family had many tales of people from their past. The LADIES depict this other world."
