Rocky River-based digital artist Ken Long will donate 50 percent of the profits of his new exhibition to The Gathering Place.
Long’s newest exhibition, Molto Varie: Assorted Works, showcases a different side of his work.
The owner of River PhotoCraft, he is known for his photography of nature stills in local parks, using computer software to enhance the image’s textures and colors.
“This doesn’t really fit into that niche,” Long said.
Molto Varie explores photos of animals, including dogs, cats and horses, he said.
It also showcases Long’s abstract art, one depicting an obscured image of Cleveland’s skyline.
“I haven’t had an opportunity to do something like this in the past,” Long said. “If someone goes to this exhibit, they’ll see something they haven’t seen before.”
Molto Varie is displayed at The Gathering Place’s Moses Gallery, 25425 Center Ridge Road in Westlake.
The Gathering Place also serves as a nonprofit that provides free services for individuals and families coping with cancer.
Long said cancer has affected several members of his family, including himself with colon cancer.
He said two of his sisters were diagnosed with cancer.
One of his sisters received a wig from The Gathering Place during her cancer battle, Long said.
He said he felt a strong need to give back to the nonprofit.
“They don’t charge for their services, so cancer patients and their families can go there free of charge,” Long said. “I felt it was a good opportunity to help them with what they do.
“I’m happy to support them.”
Molto Varie: Assorted Works will be on display through June 30.
Long is a self-taught artist.
He began to create photodigital art a few years before he retired from a career in market research in 2019.
The combination of increased free time, digital photographic technology that allowed him to instantly review what he had taken, and publicly available “deep dream” neural net software began him on his journey.
Long has had two solo gallery shows at the Cleveland Metroparks Rocky River Nature Center, exhibited and sold his work at BAYarts, and won two first place awards for his digital art at the Westshore Arts Council annual juried show.
For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/riverphotocraft/.