Five-fingered fascination 'The Glove Series' by Sandy Johanson at McKay Imaging BY MARIE MABER Correspondent 'Lost and Found," a curious new exhibition of photographs at McKay Imaging Studio and Gallery in Red Bank, begs explanation. "Found White Street" Intellectually we know that not all art is based on beauty. But when we find ourselves facing an image of a soiled work glove, we start to wonder. "I started collecting them in 1997," said Sandy Johanson, Tinton Falls, a learning assistant in the photography area of the Brookdale Community College Art Department. "I used a pin-hole camera to photograph them, setting each glove up against a light box. "After I made prints of those images, I sanded, painted, used pastels, powdered pigments, even gesso over the photographs," she said. "The roughened surface gives them life. "More recently I began taking digital pictures of the gloves," she said. "The digital images are 'just the facts,' really; I get a super-detailed message. "The digital ones are titled by where they were found. When I find them, I stick a little note into the bag," she said. "Each image spoke to me. Some are comical, others seem ominous. I think of them as portraits of gloves," she said. If you go: "Lost and Found" Exhibition runs through Thursday, Oct. 18 Where: McKay Imaging Studio & Gallery, 12 Monmouth St., Suite 202, Red Bank Telephone: (732) 842-2272 Hours: Wednesday and Thursday, 1-7 p.m., and by appointment "I've collected them for a while. You'd be amazed at how many there are out there. "When the seasons change is the best time to find them. Who knows why," she said. "I've carried zip-lock bags in my car so I'm ready when I see them. I have people who find gloves for me now." The gloves are shown either actual size or close to it, with the exception of one 30-by-40-inch color print laminated on plexiglass. The smaller works are very carefully presented in flawless, pristine white, hand-painted frames, quite a step up for the five-fingered street pancakes. "When it was time to frame these images, I decided to do it myself," she said. "I purchased frames about two, three months ago. I sanded them and filled in the corners, painted them several coats, cut my own mats, and used museum glass." Love letters Is there a message to this art? Is Johanson glorifying those who make their living working with their hands or scolding them for what they've thrown away? Perhaps neither. Johanson's ability to make works of art from these found objects is an inspiration, a novel sort of artful recycling, and these enigmatic hands clearly are open to interpretation. An earlier series of Johanson's called the "Love, George" series is also available at McKay Imaging. Although not on the walls, they are worth seeking out in the bins. Still-life photographs of letters sent between lovers during World War II are the subject of a series Johanson completed in early 2001. The letters were photographed in settings that evoke several emotional layers, are atmospheric in presentation, and are filled with beautiful passages. The content is far more serious than what is seen in the "The Glove Series," and provide a telling foil to the show on the walls. About the artist Sandy Johanson graduated from Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in painting. She was born and raised in Wisconsin. She has studied and worked at Brookdale for 24 years. "I came as a student, became a student worker, and then was hired as a learning assistant," she said.