Artists of the week- Peter and Nick Finger
By Erin O.
Jun 3, 2009 - 11:40:27 AM

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Artist of the week

Early dawn, before the thoughts of the day have even entered most of our minds, Peter Finger is peeking through his blinds trying to detect whether the morning conditions might favor the perfect photo he is seeking. He was smitten by the beauty of our island ever since visiting here years ago. A light misty fog resting gently near the Wando River or through the trees on Bellinger Island will motivate Peter right out of bed with his equipment in hand on the sleepiest of mornings.

It would be difficult to find a more experienced photographer and digital artist than Peter Finger. We are fortunate to have such an expert in our midst as a full-time resident now. For the past 22 years, Peter photographed hundreds of universities, institutions and landscapes. He has been hired to create brochures, catalogs and marketing materials of all kinds. With a background in fine arts, he also taught various workshops and seminars over the years covering such material as landscape photography and digital photo manipulation. He has led groups all over the US through national parks and treasured landmarks, sharing his fine arts background as well as his photography training. Peter hopes to eventually begin digital art workshops here on the island.

Nick Finger is heavily involved with computer-manipulated art of a more whimsical nature. Peter’s son Nick is also heavily involved with computer-manipulated art of a more whimsical nature. His ideas are youthful, fresh and clearly demonstrate a passion for digitally-enhanced nature. Having learned Photoshop at a very early age, he became an early expert with design and composition. His works of art have been marketed as tee shirts, posters, prints, and digital canvases. He hopes that these designs will also take the form of glassware and wearable art. The canvases are definitely worth checking out. So take a stroll downtown the next time you are in the Publix Shopping Center. You are sure to be delighted!

STUDENT ARTIST LANDS SHOW ST. LAWRENCE ARTS COUNCIL: Intern displaying his work at Potsdam gallery.

POTSDAM — In 2 1/2 weeks, Nick Finger had to select, print and frame dozens of prints to fill the vacant gallery space at the St. Lawrence County Arts Council.

The SUNY Canton senior and Arts Council intern said he had been hoping to display his work at the Arts Council, but the show happened sooner than he expected when another artist backed out. The bright blue walls at 51 Market St. now are covered with several of his abstract drawings of trees and aquariums, as well as photographs and illustrations created with a computer.

"As I worked here and looked around, the walls were just blank. I kept saying, half jokingly, 'Come on, give me a space; the walls are blank,'" the Albany native said. "It was a little rushed."

Mr. Finger is a graphic and multimedia design major. The show in Potsdam, which runs through April 9, is Mr. Finger's first solo show, though he has displayed his work on campus and in his hometown.

In 2 1/2 weeks, Nick Finger had to select, print and frame dozens of prints to fill the vacant gallery space at the St. Lawrence County Arts Council.

The SUNY Canton senior and Arts Council intern said he had been hoping to display his work at the Arts Council, but the show happened sooner than he expected when another artist backed out. The bright blue walls at 51 Market St. now are covered with several of his abstract drawings of trees and aquariums, as well as photographs and illustrations created with a computer.

"As I worked here and looked around, the walls were just blank. I kept saying, half jokingly, 'Come on, give me a space; the walls are blank,'" the Albany native said. "It was a little rushed."

Mr. Finger is a graphic and multimedia design major. The show in Potsdam, which runs through April 9, is Mr. Finger's first solo show, though he has displayed his work on campus and in his hometown.

It also is the first time the Arts Council has put on a solo show for a college student, but not necessarily the last, according to Executive Director Hilary M. Oak.

"We've had students submit stuff to shows before," she said. "I would like to do at least one a year, but it requires that we have a student that's motivated enough to have a body of work that's good enough to show."

Mr. Finger's apartment is littered with prints discarded because he deemed them not good enough to go on display, he said.

Art is in Mr. Finger's genes; his father was a photographer and his grandfather was a painter. He grew up taking photos and helping his father edit them on the computer. Eventually, he branched out into drawing and design.

"It all sort of happened by accident. I was in a slump. I was between schools and didn't really know what I wanted to do," he said. "I went to a park one day with one of my friends and I was just out there scribbling with markers, drawing really, really abstract trees."

Those abstractions dominate the show; they are much larger and more colorful than the photos. His favorite, "Poisonous," a tree that looks like a series of connected sickle-shaped branches in bright blues and greens, is the first of his pieces to meet the eye, just outside the gallery space.

Mr. Finger said that after he graduates this spring, he plans to start looking into master's degree programs in the arts.

"His illustration style is very lively and very colorful," Ms. Oak said. "It's clear that he's experimenting with different techniques and developing his composition and his eye."

I will try to keep everyone up to date on my projects, shows and travels here on this blog. Please check back from time to time to see what postings are new.