EOA Exhibit: "EXAMINATION": Photographs by Amy Levy

Come see this beautiful, debut solo exhibit by local photographer, Amy Levy.

Here's what Amy says about her work:

I have been a student, a teacher, a programmer, a
manager, a writer, and a member of an invisible minority.

I received my first camera—a small Kodak Instamatic—when
I was 10 years old. Growing up on the coast of Maine, I would spend my free
time sitting in the crook of an old willow tree overlooking the marsh, writing
poetry, sketching, and taking pictures. Still, I chose to put these activities
aside when I grew up, for what I thought was a more practical course: computer
programming.

In January of my 36th year I fell into the worst
depression of my life. When the near-terminal sadness finally broke in August,
I had been let go from my executive position at a dot.com marketing firm. I was
unable to do basic math, let alone complex software development. If I’d had any
doubts about the bipolar diagnosis before this time in my life, they’d
evaporated.

The depression lifted almost as easily as it came over
me. It’s not quite as though I woke up and said one day, “Oh, I am not
depressed any more”—any more than I realized I was feeling that way in the
first place—but almost. The experience made me rethink how I had lived to that
point.

I discovered some serious memory gaps, developed a
permanent tremor (originally a side effect of the medications), and fought to
regain the logic skills I had lost. I allowed myself the luxury of time. I
returned to school and earned a second degree. I started writing again, after
nearly 20 years away from poetry and fiction. I bought a digital camera and
then upgraded to the one I use now. I experimented with light, composition,
color, and editing.

I published a few personal essays and poems, followed by
my first book, Welcome to River Street,
which was released in July 2010. Fey Publishing used my digital editing and
photography work for the cover illustrations of several of their books.

A few years ago, I had the chance to get what has turned
into a dream job, and I am not looking back. The job has meant less time for
some of the other things that I love to do, but it puts my years of education,
my professional experience, and most important my talent for thinking slightly
outside the box to good use.

I observe the world around me. I
take my camera everywhere; it is equal parts artistic tool and memory device. I
write—not only for my job, but also for myself.  I don’t take my emotions or my sanity for granted. Stress is
my enemy; creativity is my savior, even at the office.

To purchase artwork from this
exhibit, please contact Jennifer Judelsohn at (703) 273-0485 or
Jennifer@soulworksstudio.com.