January 23, 2006

 LIVINGSTON, Ala.—Nathan Purath, Artistic Director at the Coleman Center for Arts and Culture, will exhibit his photography in the Webb Hall gallery on the University of West Alabama campus for the next several months. The opening reception for “Inherited Identity,” a collection of digital collages, takes place Wednesday, Jan. 25 from 2-4 p.m. in the Webb parlor.

Purath, an Indiana native, calls his work “a mix between paint and photography.” He uses photographs, but puts them together in Photoshop in a way that looks more like painting.

“I use my scanner as a camera,” Purath said. “For example, in one piece I scanned rusted metal and a bird’s nest into the computer.”

Combining antique family photos with coffee rings, glass negatives and other interesting shapes, Purath’s unique style shines through in photographs four to five feet tall.

The exhibit, consisting of works completed for Purath’s B.F.A. from Indiana University, will run until mid-March.