The Vault: Glen McClure - Half the Sky

Artist Statement, Half the Sky
A Celebration of Women and Girls
 
"I have been a photographer for many years and enjoy shooting all kinds of subjects and scenes. But I really love people! So, some of my projects are to make portraits. I want to capture a portrait — spontaneously — almost the second I happen upon someone. Honestly, directly, with the subject looking right into my camera. I have cooked up lots of projects and opportunities to make portraits. When I’m traveling, I hire someone to be my assistant if there is a language or cultural barrier, and also to interview each subject, so I can gain just a little bit of insight into each person I have literally just met. And I’ve met all sorts — on docks and in seafood processing houses, in local shipyards, in plazas of French villages and ancient castles, on the sidewalk in Sicily and in Bristol, Virginia and in Costa Rica. Even at roller-skating rinks!
 
For this exhibition, Half the Sky, I wanted to exhibit some of the women and girls I’ve been lucky enough to encounter. Beautiful, strong, shy or bold, plain or fancy, old or young, 'women hold up half the sky' and I honor them with this exhibition. This quote first originated in China and variations of it have been used many times. It seemed perfect as a title for this project. "

- Glen McClure

Glen McClure Artist's Bio

Born in Norfolk and a lifelong resident of Virginia, Glen McClure has brought the people and places of the US and Europe into focus through his photography.
His path began to unfold after he purchased his first camera at 19. As a photographer's assistant at the Studio Center in Norfolk and then as photography manager at Arthur Polizos Associates, Glen immersed himself in the art of photography, learning all that he could from each experience and exploring the magic and potential of his medium.

McClure's next venture as an independent commercial photographer led to the evolution of his artistic portraits and landscapes. Gradually, his photographs of people going about their daily lives coalesced into his first portrait solo exhibition in 2002 (Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art, Virginia Beach). His portraits of "real people" in their natural habitats are now internationally known for their stunning quality and disarming directness, in black and white and in color.

McClure's uncanny ability to coax people into sitting for portraits was accompanied by his deep love of world travel. So, concurrently, just as portraits of people began to fill Glen's portfolio, so portraits of places started to form a large body of his work. McClure's travels across Virginia, as well as to Italy, France, and Ireland have inspired his work with the unpopulated landscape—haunting, panoramic images of natural wonders in all weather and atmospheric conditions.

Influenced by early 20th-century photographers Josef Sudek and Paul Strand, McClure's work is recognized for masterful photographic techniques and for inviting strong and immediate connections between subject and viewer.

During the past two decades, McClure has had more than 75 solo and 50 group exhibitions in the US and Europe. Fully illustrated catalogues have accompanied many of these exhibitions. His work can be found in many private collections and museums, including, The Polaroid Collection, The Chrysler Museum, The Mariners Museum; and the Taubman Museum.

https://www.glenmcclure.com