Louis Middleton has wanted to have a “photography show” ever since joining Make Studio in 2010. Louis has long enjoyed taking photos of family, friends, and places. He also made a business venture of doing restorations of old photographs, having picked up Photoshop skills along the way. However, early on at Make Studio Louis began to cultivate a talent for drawing and painting and his time in the studio has mostly been spent on these endeavors.

Alternative Histories highlights the dovetailing of Louis’ interests, which has produced a slightly offbeat approach to using the photographic image. Interspersed with samples of Louis’ restorations of historical family photos, the pieces showcased in the studio are evocative digital collages built from family photos, found images of dramatic landscapes, and recurring characters extracted from his paintings. They represent the culmination of a lengthy process of discussion, image review, production, and selection.  He invites everyone to “take a look” at the results!

Louis took his artistic skills to a new level and learned valuable lessons in patience, dedication, and persistence. Louis says he’s very happy about how the show turned out and is proud to share it with his friends and family. His favorite piece, Taney, features Miss Marilyn Monroe having a blast in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor (one of Louis’s favorite destinations).

Alternative Histories  took place in conjunction with  Brown is the New Black, a workshop sponsored by Baltimore Office of Promotions and the Arts’ Free Fall Baltimore. Make Studio invited Dayton, Ohio based photographer Francis Schanberger to share his knowledge about historic and alternative photographic processes. Each participant left with several hand-made photographic prints ready to frame. In Louis’ words, “the workshop was perfect!”

To learn more more about Francis Schanberger and his work, please check out his website. Louis Middleton’s framed and unframed digital collages are available for purchase. Take a peak at the  Alternative Histories’ photo album on our Facebook page and feel free to contact us at info@make-studio.org!!