A different kind of toy story: Photographer Dale May opens ‘Lego Wars’ in a Greenwich Ave. gallery

Written by Gregg Bartlett, Post Editor
Thursday, 22 December 2011 19:00

Dale May, whose advertising, celebrity and music photography has brought him recognition, awards and international attention, has been “pushing the boundaries of photography and digital imaging for more than 15 years,” noted owners of the Samuel Owen Gallery on Greenwich Ave.

You might say his latest photographic exhibit, “Lego Wars,” which opened at the gallery last Thursday night, rockets visitors to “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...” And maybe transports some also back to childhood adventures with Legos.

The opening on Dec. 15 included a special appearance of two costumed Stormtroopers. Children and adults welcome to take photos with Stormtrooper, free of charge. The event was greatly received by both young and young-at-heart, organizers of the show later said in e-mail messages to the Post.

The “Lego Wars” series is a photographic study of popular culture, commercial advertising and nostalgia. Mr. May revisits the tiny plastic Lego toys and photographs them “in a way that returns them to the epic importance they once had as a child, reminding us why we needed to collect every single piece,” according to the gallery notes on the exhibit. “Iconic, nostalgic, yet timeless, the artist brings a new look to a subject that’s common place.”

The gallery noted that the artist’s work is “impeccably crafted and well thought out.”

“Dale felt that the entire piece of art should resemble the high polished glossiness of the subject itself,” according to the gallery’s exhibit notes. “Crafted in archival acrylic and backed with aluminum dibond, the work is given a look not unlike the plastic Star Wars Lego or something in Darth Vader’s home, the Death Star itself! Once made from molded plastic, standing just over an inch, and in danger of being stepped on, these characters now stand tall, speak to us and demand attention!”

Mr. May’s “richly stylized, character driven, conceptual imagery,” the gallery” has drawn the attention of several celebrities and iconic personalities interested in being photographed by him. He has shot Christina Aguilera, Isaac Mizrahi, Jared Leto, Gene Simmons, Moby, Dave Grohl, Casey Affleck, Matt Leblanc, Nathan Lane, as well as countless bands, from Black Sabbath to 30 Seconds To Mars, and the Broadway casts of West Side Story, 9 to 5, Hair and most recently, Spiderman Turn Off The Dark.

The artist grew up 45 minutes outside of Philadelphia in Chadds Ford, Pa. His grandfather was a big-band drummer and band leader in the ‘20s and ‘30s, and his grandmother was a supper club singer. Dale May played the drums from age five and was also artistically inspired by his neighbor, the American Contemporary Realist Painter, Andrew Wyeth.

After moving to New York to study painting, color theory, and art history at Parson’s School of Design, he graduated in 1993 with a bachelor of fine arts degree in photography. He left Parsons and went on to work with iconic photographer Joyce Tenneson, who had an influence on him with her ethereal effects. He continued working with fashion and still life photographers, including Jose Picayo. He chose to apprentice with photographers that were both commercial as well as recognized fine artists, and was particularly drawn to a painterly style. Working with still-life photographers provided him a technician’s training in lighting, equipment and post production.

“Combining his background in painting and color theory, lighting and post production, Dale works with the inspiration to make the unthinkable real, as well as ... believable,” according to the gallery notes.

The Internet — as only the Internet can — has posed the question of what Legos, Star Wars and Steve Jobs have in common, according to OXDaiily.com. Several responses have been similar to one cheerleader of all three: “They’re all THE COOLEST DAMN THINGS EVER that’s what they have in common!” A YouTube video reported that a Legos City was in mourning over the news of Mr. Jobs’ death earlier this fall.

The “Lego Wars” show will run through Jan. 19. Gallery hours are Monday to Saturday 10:30 to 5:30 and Sunday from 11 to 3.

Lee and Cindy Milazzo opened the 5,000-square-foot Samuel Owen Gallery at 378 Greenwich Ave. in 2005, having expanded Pacific Street Framing. . Prints of many of the pieces displayed in the gallery can be purchased online through the artist’s link on the Web site at samuelowengallery.com. For more information, call 203-422-6500.

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