Local Gallery Features Work from GHS Senior

Amy Nelson is 17 years old and a student at Glasgow High School. She's also a budding photographer with her own show filling the western wall of the Sean R. Heavey Gallery downtown for the month of August.

Largely self-taught and self-directed, Nelson describes coming from an artistic family and seeking an outlet of her own.

"I began experimenting with point-and-shoot cameras," Nelson explains in her artist statement, "and spent endless hours photographing my surroundings." The work on display centers on the beauty of urban decay in rural settings, such as sunset scenes viewed through dilapidated buildings and rusting automobiles consumed by the natural landscape.

After purchasing her own point-and-shoot camera at the age of 14, Nelson signed up for a high school photography class to further explore what she describes as, "the technical and artistic aspects of photography."

Another step in her rapid evolution as an artist saw her entering a photography contest held by Photographer's Forum Magazine in 2013 and again in 2014. The results of her early efforts include three images that have been published internationally.

Nelson's primary practical objective at this point is exposure. "It's getting my work out there," she states flatly. "I want to share it with people."

Artistically, she's focused on process. "I try to effectively capture the essence and beauty of the things I see . . . When I see an object or a scene I instantly think of ways that I can turn that something into art using my camera."

Nelson's work first came to the attention of area photographer and gallery owner Sean Heavey while he was serving as a judge at the 2012 Northeast Montana Fair.

"I saw her name and didn't know who she was," Heavey recalls. "When I found out that she was so young, I was floored." Asked why he selected Nelson to show as his first guest artist in the space, Heavey explains, "She needs the experience and the opportunity to print her work, hang it on the wall, and have people view it. It completes a circle that has become rarer with digital photography."

Among plans to pursue studies in pre-law, Nelson is set on exploring photography at the college level--she'll be a senior at GHS this year--most likely at the University of Montana in Bozeman.

Nelson's show includes 17 images printed on canvas. A reception is planned for the show's close, which is scheduled to coincide with the First Friday arts events on September 4.

The Heavey Gallery is located at 529 Second Avenue S. Hours of operation are Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-4 p.m., and 8 a.m.-2 p.m. on Saturdays.