Eye of beholder: Shannondale residents' photos shine through lenses of time

'My dad gave me a camera for my 12th birthday,' explained Beccie King, as she stood before a wall of her best work. 'I took photos of random junk. Then I got particular about it. Then I got more particular about it.' King is a resident of Shannondale of Maryville, an independent and assisted living center where, on Sept. 3, she and four other residents were honored with an artists' reception so that community and the rest of us could view their talents. The others are Ted Witt, Shirley Brown, Gene Lovell and Stan Rushing. In addition, photos by the late Paul Bay, a former resident, was also displayed. The exhibit, 'Through the Lens,' remains at Shannondale's Community Room for the remainder of the month. Geri Mulligan serves as curator. It so happens that King had a great teacher and encourager, for her father is the late Dr. Elgin Kintner. He was director of laboratory at Blount Memorial Hospital for more than 30 years, but time away from work was spent in Great Smoky Mountains, hiking and taking photos, many showing up in collections at the University of Tennessee and elsewhere.For King, she said a love of textures seen on old barns and bridges caught her attention and still do so today. She just got a new camera from husband Rufus a few months ago. She remembers when her dad was having the family home in Oak Park built decades ago. The architect told him there was an area in the basement that would have to remain windowless. 'Hallelujah, that will be my dark room,' King said her dad told the architect. King spent many Decembers in that studio, helping her dad craft the family Christmas cards. A resident of Shannondale for four years, King said she is honored to get this opportunity side by side with the others. That love of nature as she followed her dad along trails in the Smokes has never subsided, she said. 'Hiking trails and cameras kind of go together,' she said. Across the hallway, the works of Shirley Brown were front and center. Like King, it was also her dad, Ed Friend, who introduced her to photography, when she was 10 or 11. He was a professional photographer and very technically minded. She began around 1954 taking photos and developing the film in a darkened bathroom. 'I recall using the creek at least once as my rinser, probably in late summer when our well ran dry,' she shared in her artist statement. She is thrilled to be using digital technology today. Some of her displayed photos she calls 'edgy.' She took a photo that her dad shot of her, their dog and a possum when she was only 3 years old —and color enhanced the cropped-out possum. 'That is not something that I typically do,' she said. That original photo is 80 years old. It was during her employment at the Knoxville Museum of Art that Brown would take her lunch hour and take photos at the UT Gardens. She continues to see the extraordinary in the ordinary and is drawn to figurative shapes and patterns. Ted Witt got his first camera as a seventh grader. He said both his parents had a love of photography; he has one shot his mom took back in the 1920s. But it was a six-week adventure in Alaska when he was a young man that opened his eyes to the beauty that exists in nature. His student group drove to Alaska and back in 1958, with Witt taking photos of their adventures, including visiting national parks. 'That's when I decided this was something worthwhile,' he said. He became a minister and worked for years in outdoor ministries after earning s degree in outdoor education. 'I had lots of opportunities to be in natural settings,' he said. The photos of his on display include his favorite spots along the Blue Ridge Parkway and also Foothills Parkway. He's lived at Shannondale for 16 years. The local greenway is a stunning place to see nature, he said. Gene Lovell and wife Frances have traveled to six continents, taking photos as documentation. He is a retired minister and said he got interested in photography back in the 1970s. Looking at the display on the wall, he commented, 'this is such a reminder or our travels.' Getting to share all of this with friends and strangers has been wonderful, he explained. Stan Rushing is on staff at New Providence Presbyterian Church. He grew up in Mississippi. The late Paul Bay was a career hospital chaplain. Like many of the others, it was nature that got his attention and his camera documented that. His wife attended the reception. This honor for residents will continue as other artistic talents are put on display in coming months.