All photos and images by Anne McCarthy, including banner.
A new lens, an unfamiliar place, a get-together with like-minded people, or the promise of a walk are common inspirations that encourage us to create images.
And then there is Fear. As a member of Gage Gallery, I have the opportunity and obligation to use the main gallery for a show on a rotating basis. Knowing that I was expected to fill the main room off the Gage Gallery in a few months’ time was a large inspiration. The prospect of having nothing to show but empty white walls was daunting. Fear can be quite inspirational.
Luckily, I already had an agreement to collaborate again with Clare Palmer, another photo-based Gage Artist. Together we decided to ask Ron Charles, a Victoria Camera Club member, to join as the third partner.
Knowing that I, as most photographers do, have many photos of shadows, I proposed a theme of shadows. Ron easily solidified that into a title of Light Reigns, Shadows Rule.
And then another level of connection started.
It is quite common for Gage Artists to use shows to provide publicity for charitable organizations. By coincidence, both Clare and Ron have connections to Rainbow Haven, a small Anglican Church-facilitated charity that serves in Africa. Rainbow Haven provides support to individuals facing persecution based on sexual orientation or gender identity as they go through the asylum process. It quietly sets up safe houses and provides food and shelter for people attempting to flee dangerous circumstances.
Offering to set up a collection box for Rainbow Haven at the show sparked a completely new inspiration for me.
Many ideas began to surface, in no particular order. Light and dark, about our cultural association with light as good and dark as bad, how light can burn, and shadow provide shelter, of how a light might signal a haven for those living in the shadows, how shadows might be a place of safety, about strength and resilience, how shadows might be a place for growth to flower. About the strength of the people during this process.
The connections, associations, and assumptions are endless.
Variations on this swirl of thoughts appear throughout the show and are reflected in the composite image below. It shows how three images, each connected to a different idea, blend into a new shape that invites questions and new connections.
FOR THE HUMAN FIGURE
My own shadow on a concrete floor at a Mexican Orchid Farm.
I liked this image because of the texture and impression of growth from the head.
FOR THE IDEA OF SHELTER
A shot of the Customs House on Government Street while under construction.
I was able to get this shot just as the setting sun was shining through a window to provide a focused pulse of light. I liked that this is partly a shell of a building, yet immensely strong — a place in the process of rebirth and shelter. The glowing light can signify heart, or light creeping through a crack from a place of shelter.
FOR THE COLOUR AND CONCEPT OF GROWTH AND FLOWERING FROM INSIDE THE SHADOW
A shot of California Poppies
They are known for their ability to produce fantastic colour from rocky, unfriendly soil.
The final image combines all three ideas while, in my view, still holds a lot of ambiguity.
It carries a sense of danger and a sense of hope.
Is that shadow rising to grow, or is it looming?
Please come downtown and visit the show if you have a chance. Everyone is welcome at the reception on Friday, November 21, 2025, 3–6 pm.
Anne McCarthy
Light Reigns, Shadows Rule
Gage Gallery, 19 Bastion Square, Victoria, BC
November 18 to December 7, 2025
Reception: Fri Nov 21 from 3-6pm
Gallery Open: Tue-Sun 11am to 5pm
About Anne McCarthy
I have a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Queen’s University and spent many satisfying years working as a weather technician for Environment Canada. I covered many roles, including collaborating with provincial agencies in Victoria and assisting local media with weather questions. Now retired, I am a happy member of the Gage Gallery and the Victoria Camera Club, where I assist Kathrine Delany and Dennis Crabtree with the Creative Special Interest Group. Over the last ten years, I have exhibited in various places, including the Sidney Art Show, Sooke Fine Art Show, Gage Gallery, and Metchosin Art Pod. My interest in the intersection between photography and fine art goes back to the 1970s, when I worked with gum bichromate, cyanotype, and other non-silver techniques to print images on rag paper. From there, I modified the image with paint, pencil, and whatever else got in my way. Now, tools such as Photoshop and Lightroom allow me to expand on that interest in the digital realm. The possibilities are endless.
Edited by Anke Weber
Co-Editor, Close-Up Digital