About Me
I started taking photographs while living in Chicago in the early 90s when I was working at a one-hour photo shop that also sold cameras; we were encouraged to bring one home from time to time to get familiar with the features. This sparked my interest in photography, and then my sister gave me an old manual Pentax and I started taking pictures all the time! Printing hundreds of images over the years has helped me develop my eye and creative vision. I have experimented with different equipment, subjects, mediums, and presentations. I am lucky to live in Jersey City,NJ, which has a big artist community. It has allowed me to grow and meet many other creative people to collaborate with and derive inspiration from. At some point along the way I experimented with the genre of still life photography and was drawn in. I believe it presents a unique challenge in transforming ordinary objects into captivating compositions. My objective is to breathe life into the images, trying to create "visual poetry” that evokes personal narratives and emotional connections for the viewers. Nostalgia and shared experiences are themes that run deep in my work. I want people to engage with the photographs and find their own stories within them. Connecting with others through my images is, for me, the best thing about being an artist.
HOW IT STARTED
Back in 2009 my friend Kelly St. Patrick, was living in a hours on 4th Street. In the back of the house was a garage. Our friend Joanne Simmons was a budding photographer and was looking for opportunities to show her work and the idea came up to make the opportunity. So the garage was outfitted with long chains that hung from the ceiling to the floor and Joanne had her very first show, NYLON, during a JC Fridays. The images were pictures she had taken in London, where she was from, and in NYC, where she worked. The event was a smash and later that year I put on an exhibit in the garage for the Jersey City Art and Studio Tour (JCAST). It was called MISHMASH and was just that, a mishmash of photographs I had taken over the years. No one subject matter but whatever I had left over from previous exhibits. That is how we started Alley Cat Gallery and 2024 marks the 15th year of us producing art events there for the community.
October 5 & 6 2024
The garage is located in an alley with entrances on Coles Street and Jersey Avenue right between 4th and 5th Street. We use the address 76 Coles Street, even though it isn’t an official street address but the alley is right next to a house at 78 Coles Street. There will be signs posted at each entrance.
Showing this year is our co founder, Joanne Simmons who discovered her passion for making silver jewelry a few years back and recently has some of her collection in the Museum of Art & Design. We also have Miguel Cardenas, who shows with us often, and creates these beautiful, mesmerizing, hand made collage art pieces. Rounding out the line up is me, Beth Achenbach! I will be showing some of my canvas prints from my very successful solo exhibit, Crushed, that was featured at Art House Gallery in August. Other framed and canvas photos will be on display from birds, to flowers, to beach glass, to rubber bands, and other still life images! Stop by and see us! We are open from 12 to 6pm, October 5 & 6.
What’s the subject?
I was sitting on three possible ideas for
this exhibit, one of which were these discarded, damaged aluminum cans that I had been collecting for at least three years now. I just didn’t know what I wanted to say with them? I just knew they reminded me of trauma, like
a person might look who was in pain. I have this big box filled with cans and bottles, and cups, and cigarette packs. The other two ideas, had to do with The Three Fates of mythology, and the third is something I’m calling “Project 8” which is a series I shot of 8 rubber bands tied together in different formations, each of the eight rubber bands signifying an aspect of life. I printed samples of each series and with some input from some trusted people in my life, I decided it was time to bring the cans out of the box!
As an LGBTQ+ Artist I am very proud to be kicking off Jersey City Pride Month with a solo exhibit of my new series, CRUSHED
at Art House Gallery. See more images
What’s it about?
It’s about the power of everyday objects to confront the hidden trauma that festers within us. These discarded cans and plastic bottles bear the scars of neglect and abuse, the photos capture these objects as silent witnesses to the pain, abandonment, and heartbreak that often remain unexpressed. They evoke the crumpled, deflated state of a person overwhelmed by adversity, their body and spirit bearing the weight of unspoken traumas. This art serves as a reminder that even the most unassuming objects can hold the weight of human suffering, a testament to the transformative power of acknowledging and addressing the pain that silently shapes our lives.
Life Signs
Life Signs prints for sale
IN THE NEWS
2012 Beth's Photos published Asbury Park Press
