State Capitol

2300 Lincoln,  

Oklahoma City, OK  73104

Phone Number: 521-2931

ARTS COUNCIL EXHIBITS
CHARLES RUSHTON'S WATERWORKS AND WALLS
AT THE STATE CAPITOL

Oklahoma City, OK – Norman artist Charles Rushton’s new exhibit at the State Capitol, Waterworks and Walls, is the first time this series of photographs has been displayed. Curated by the Oklahoma Arts Council, this exhibit will be on display through December 14th in the Governor’s Gallery located on the 2nd floor of the State Capitol and open Monday through Friday from 8:30-5:00.

Well known for his portrait photography, Rushton focused this time on everyday objects such as submerged trash and transformed them into items of beauty.

"I particularly like the effect of water on trash," Rushton says. "I'm not that interested in trash itself -- I'm interested in how nature transforms it. It's the action of the water twisting it and shaping it, and the sun fading things. These are the things that make the pictures interesting."

For Waterworks and Walls, he found plenty of subjects to shoot at the lake and several ditches in the Norman area. "I realized eventually that what it spoke to is the concept of what's a legitimate subject of a photograph. Once you've got over the stereotyped notions of what's worthy of being photographed, all of a sudden this whole world of images opens up to you."

Rushton began taking pictures as a child. He set up his first darkroom at age 11. In his teens, he was a freelance photographer for his hometown newspaper, the Rochester Post Bulletin. From 1976 to 1978, he served as head of audiovisual services at Eastern New Mexico University. From 1978 to 1983 he served as director of district media services for Belen Consolidated Schools, New Mexico.

Between 1980 and 2002, Rushton photographed 125 New Mexico artists and photographers. His photographs have appeared in numerous periodicals and monographs of regional, national and international importance and in numerous one man and group exhibitions. His works are in the permanent collection of the Albuquerque Museum, Albuquerque, NM; the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, Norman; Mabee-Gerrer Museum of Art, Shawnee; the Eleanor Hays Art Gallery, Tonkawa and the Oklahoma State Art Collection.

Rushton started using a digital camera in 1998 and began exhibiting his digital images in 2002. He has studied photography under photographers Fred Picker and Oliver Gagliani and photographic portraiture under portrait photographers, Arnold Newman and Rodney Smith. He has taught photography classes at Eastern New Mexico University, the Firehouse Art Center, Norman, the University of Oklahoma, Moore Norman Technology Center and Oklahoma City Community College.

Rushton holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Lawrence University, a Master of Arts in Teaching degree from St. Thomas University, a Master of Arts in Library Science degree from the University of Minnesota, and a Master of Fine Arts in Photography degree from the University of Oklahoma. He currently teaches digital photography at Oklahoma City Community College and Moore-Norman Technology Center.

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