For several works in Paper Skies, Manitou Springs artist Brenda Biondo took photos of the sky through a stencil-like panel held in front of a camera’s lens. The stencils — sometimes sky blue and blending in with the color of the actual sky — were moved slightly when the shutter opened, blurring the margins of the stencil. This allowed Biondo to create linear abstractions based on direct photos of the sky; the results don’t even look like photos. A good example is “Moving Picture No. 10,” in which a square, cloud-filled shape floats above a rectilinear band of clouds, both set on a blue field. In other photos, such as “Modality No. 1,” Biondo digitally cuts up and reassembles abstract photos in order to produce a non-repeating pattern. All of the Biondo photographs have been printed using a dye-sublimation-on-aluminum process, so they have a slight metallic sheen that enhances the polished quality of the imagery itself.

“Modality No. 1,” by Brenda Biondo, dye-sublimation on aluminum.
Courtesy of the Artist and Goodwin Fine Art
Because of their linear aspects, the Biondo photos often have a graphic presence and, in the case of the patterned photos, a bold one. But the pieces by Alpert + Kahn are even more graphic, reading almost like posters. The two shows run through April 15 at Goodwin Fine Art, 1255 Delaware Street; call 303-573-1255 or go to goodwinfineart.com for additional details.