Linda Erickson Photography
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Linda Erickson Photography
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Delaware Valley News Article on the Women of Frenchtown Exhibit Women
turn a few heads at picture-perfect gala Last Saturday night, the
operative word in Frenchtown was "fabulous." The
gala opening of Linda Erickson's Women of Frenchtown exhibit at the Cafe des
Beaux-Arts gallery drew an enthusiastic crowd dressed in the glamorous spirit of
the occasion. Erickson spent the past several months shooting
black and white and color pictures of 17 women of all ages who either live or
work in Frenchtown, and hundreds of people turned out to view the results. Gallery visitors sipped wine as they perused the
images of female beauty lining the walls, then sampled pastries and coffee in
the cafe. Afterward, they packed the borough's restaurants.
"It was one big party that rippled through the town, said Erickson,
adding: "That's exactly what I
wanted to happen." Many of the photographs' subjects came to bask in
their new-found fame and stand beside their pictorial likenesses, shot by
Erickson --smiling, pensive, mysterious, or sultry. Observers
said they enjoyed seeing the women they meet on the streets of town everyday in
a new light. Erickson styled the hair and make-up for all the
women; her goal, "to make them feel special and show them how beautiful
they are – just as beautiful as anyone in a magazine." The women indeed looked beautiful, including artist
Jane Nash; Frenchtown Cafe proprietress Rosella Caloiero; 2002 Palisades High
School graduate and Bucks County Community College student and Cocina del Sol
waitress Emily Capelle; Euphoria employee Anna Jamhoury and her sister, Lily's
of Lambertville waitress Lisa Jamhoury; registered nurse Susan Lambdin; Frame
Carriage Shop owner Kristi Keating; writer and psychic Chris Gilheaney; writer
and historian Ellen Russell; Delaware Valley High School student Rachel Huber;
designer Caryl Martin; Race Street Kids owner Linda Keane; Bucks Coffee Shop
waitress Natalie Glazer; student Gina Lambdin; actress Laura Swanson; massage
therapist Tara Kraph; wife of the late Frenchtown Mayor Benjamin Cooley, Sara
Cooley; Alchemy Creative Clothing co-owner/designer Cleo Sharplin; and Bucks
Coffee Shop manager Erin Hearty. "I never anticipated what happened would cause
all the ruckus, all the talk," said Erickson. "It
was the biggest thing that ever happened in Frenchtown. Even
the mayor said that." Frenchtown Mayor Ron Sworen attended the opening, and
was duly impressed with Erickson's work. Said Erickson: "I
worked harder than I thought. Professionalism,
paying attention to detail and putting the word out really paid off. And
I loved every minute of it." Asked what she was going to do next, Erickson said
she was "playing around with ideas." People have asked her if she's
going to photograph the men of Frenchtown or bodies (nudes) of Frenchtown, but
she's not sure. |