(SANTA ANA, CA) – Inspired by the glamourous window displays of Orange County’s Fashion Island and South Coast Plaza shopping centers, photographer Kurt Weston brings his vibrant and reimagined fashion portraits to the Thomas F. Riley Terminal in a new exhibit as part of the John Wayne Airport Community Focus Space through June 17, 2021.
Weston was once a glamour photographer who traveled to Europe with professional makeup artists and hairstylists, transforming models to create the ultimate in style and beauty. His life changed in 1996, when Weston became legally blind from Uveitis, leaving him completely blind in his left eye and with limited peripheral vision – no central vision in his right eye – which permits him to see the world as it appears in an impressionist painting.
“I’ve learned how to employ the use of low vision magnification devices and adaptive computer technology to continue my work as an artist,” said Weston. “I combine highly stylized and color-saturated images with illustrative graphics and painterly backgrounds to transform the images into unique, contemporary photo montages.”
Weston became interested in experimental photographic techniques while pursuing a BA in Creative Photography from Columbia College in Chicago, IL. Upon graduating, Weston worked as a fashion photographer, which allowed him to continue his experimentation and exploration with evocative styles and techniques. After becoming legally blind, Weston pursued a Master of Fine Arts from California State University Fullerton.
Inspired by artists Erté, Serge Lutens, and Patrick Nagel, Weston pays homage to the art and design of fashion. His work has been exhibited nationally and internationally. Weston was named Distinguished Artist of 2010 by Arts Orange County for a solo show at Fullerton’s Muckenthaler Cultural Center and selected as Orange County’s Hot 25 by the OC Metro Magazine in 2013. In 2012, he appeared in an exclusive CNN interview highlighting his photography and advocacy work.
Weston’s work exhibited regularly at the Orange County Center for Contemporary Art is in the permanent collection of The Houston Fine Arts Museum, Museum of Contemporary Photography, California Museum of Photography, Southern California College of Optometry, and many private collections. To learn more about Kurt Weston, visit www.kurtweston.com.
Weston’s exhibit may be viewed (pre-security) on the Departure (upper) Level near security screening areas in Terminals A, B, and C and on the Arrival (lower) Level adjacent to Baggage Carousels 1 and 4.
For more information about the John Wayne Airport Arts Program, visit https://www.ocair.com/travelers/dine-shop-relax/relax/arts-program/.