Transcendent Presence, an Exhibition of Photographs – Dedicated to Jill Ditmire

This post has been updated upon the news of Jill Ditmire passing away on February 1, 2021.

I am devastated by the news of Jill Ditmire passing away. She was a beacon of light that shone white hot, a Hoosier that appreciated her roots, a genuine, caring person, and a good friend.

Jill connected deeply with my photographs in this exhibition.  We spent a long time examining, considering and talking about the work.  That was Jill – always looking at, thinking about and exploring art work.  Jill genuinely cared about the artist and about what they were saying.  She always made time to properly examine the work, have an interchange of ideas and discuss the work with the artist.

The next day after the opening, I saw what Jill posted on Instagram about the exhibition.  I was humbled by her words, and recommendation, as seen below in the excerpt, and her actual post.  When Jill Ditmire made this public comment, I certainly felt validated, and I was appreciative that someone of Jill Ditmire’s knowledge and care was affected by my work.

Thank you for all that you gave, Jill.  The world will miss you.

Below is the original post for the exhibition and a virtual gallery of the work.  Thank you.

I’ve always been interested in the abstract within the natural world. While on the surface, this idea appears to be a dichotomy, the abstract and natural world are not mutually exclusive.

In fact, in my mind, the natural world is comprised of various abstract elements and components that are a result of nature’s processes over a period of time, within the environmental realm.

This photographic portfolio presents seven works that renders a found natural process into an abstract visualization.

Thank you to Satch for designing and installing the original exhibition at SATCH ART SPACE.

Ron Kern
July 2019

The exhibition was reviewed by Dan Grossman of NUVO:

Last stop of the night was Circle City Industrial Complex. Ron Kern had some striking work in Satch Art Space, the gallery space named after Julie “Satch” Kern, an artist working with assemblages and collage.

Kern was making abstract black-and-white digital photographs informed by solid, real-world subjects. His exhibit is titled Transcendent Presence. Kern has shown his more abstract photography before, but his usual photographic subject is small-town Indiana.
I was drawn to one particular photograph because it engaged me, with the intricate and peculiar forms in grayscale against a white background. The photograph being abstract, of course, makes it infinitely open to interpretation — that is, wherever your mind wants to take it.

It made me think of the Jewish concept of tikuun olam, translated as repair of the world, and the goal — through performing good deeds and practicing love and compassion — of raising divine sparks of light to conquer the darkness.

Kern used a computer program in place of a dark room to accentuate certain features on this engaging image captured in the real world.

Jill Ditmire, on Instagram checked in about the exhibition:

Capturing the abstract in the natural world thru the lens of this talented photographer. Gorgeous presentation- see it thru September.

These are single shot photographs- get in close and discover the abandoned beauty. Must see!!

Here is the virtual exhibition of Transcendent Presence:
Click on the first photograph to begin the exhibition.