Janina Green 'Be Home Before Dark' at the Colour Factory / by Claudia Phares

Analogue photography is alive and well. Proof may be found in Janina Green’s latest series ’Be Home Before Dark’, currently showing at the Colour Factory. I attended the opening: Janina Green is one of my VCA teachers/tutors. The images were taken in Gippsland where she grew up. The series represents some of the artist’s feelings ‘of fear and dread' associated with arresting landscape images. I liked the fact that the large prints were unframed, borderless, and stuck directly on the the walls with velcro. The images were shot on film, hand printed, and hand toned by the artist. For this exhibition, two kinds of blue paint was used on the walls. The resulting effect accentuated the blue tones in the prints and also worked well with the heavy black tones. I admired the craftsmanship involved in the series. Green effectively conveys a personal experience in a minimalist manner.