Santa Cruz County is an artist’s haven. From stunning natural landscapes and Open Studios to museums and galleries, local artists have access to some of the most progressive and collaborative venues in the country, and their work is celebrated in a variety of ways.
One genre of art is digital art, which marries technology with cameras to provide stunningly enhanced photography. The digital art movement was born in the 1960s, but really came into its own in the 1980s thanks to the vivid work of Andy Warhol. Since then, technology has improved, giving rise to collections like NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens), which rose to prominence in 2021; the NFT market imploded in 2022, with most pieces becoming worthless.
Since then, digital artists have worked to rehab their arena, and local purveyors of the genre are ready to share their work more broadly beginning this month.
CODA, the Community of Digital Artists of Santa Cruz, understands the value of its members’ talents, and is having its second CODA Members’ Exhibition at the Blitzer Gallery (2801 Mission St., Santa Cruz) from April 3-26. The show was juried by Ann Jastrab, executive director of the Center for Photographic Art in Carmel, and features the work of 40 CODA members, including several from the San Lorenzo Valley.
“Almost all of our members make their pictures with digital cameras,” said Mark Overgaard, past president of CODA and a contributor to the Blitzer Gallery show. “When we make prints, the bulk of us make them with digital printers; some artists will make a picture of an item or scene, and use their iPad or other digital method to enhance their work.”
Artist and CODA show participant Barbara Brundage sets flowers like ranunculus in an aquarium filled with water, and uses an eyedropper to drip paint into the water, creating an other-worldly concept, with light tendrils of color swirling around the flower’s petals.
Felton’s Marc Shargel is a prominent photographer, specializing in underwater photography. Shargel, who has published a series of three underwater photography books in his “Wonders of the Sea” collection, is participating in the CODA show with two submissions: “Kelp Tip” and “Mesa Arch at Dawn.” Both photos speak to Shargel’s appreciation of capturing the natural world in its purest form and sharing his more recent work with others.
“I have been on the Santa Cruz County arts scene for many years, doing shows like Open Studios and the San Lorenzo Valley Art Tour,” Shargel said. “The natural world inspires the great majority of my images, so I picked photos I thought might give viewers a new appreciation and reverence for nature.”
Shargel hopes viewers come away from his images with a renewed sense of wonder at the beauty one can find while hiking, star gazing or scuba diving.
“I want them to notice how many of my photos were taken on protected land, or in protected patches of ocean,” he added. “I want them to think about the fact that some of my subjects, like kelp forests for example, still don’t have the kind of protection they need. I am using photography to emphasize natural beauty, and also as a tool for conservation.”
While artists like Shargel are moved by natural images, Lawrence Herzberg chose to focus on man-made themes for his submission. He had done a photoshoot of the Sundial Bridge in Redding, and once he shared his work with fellow artists, he decided to submit two of his photos that show the bridge bathed in purple light.
“My intent of shooting the iconic bridge was to take unique pictures,” Herzberg said. “I was encouraged by fellow CODA members to enter some of my unique bridge pictures into this photo exhibit.”
His hope for the show is that each viewer develops “an appreciation of the photographic talent that we have in the Santa Cruz area.”
“There was no particular theme (for the CODA exhibition), but each photographer has shown the varied aspect of their creative aspirations to generate a photograph that depicts their talent,” Herzberg said. “That a good photograph, not just a photo, can be generated via different means, using a camera, an iPhone, a smartphone or various traditional analog/digital processes.”
While digital artists will have their work on display for over three weeks at the Blitzer Gallery, the coup de grace arrives on Saturday, April 26, when award-winning author and photographer Oliver Klink takes the stage to discuss his latest work, “Poetry in Motion.”
This book captures Klink’s passion and appreciation for all things equestrian, and presents a beautifully fluid glimpse of horses in the form of digital art. His previous work, “Cultures in Transition,” earned nine awards for best photography book of 2019.
The public can meet Klink on the final day of the 2025 CODA Members’ Exhibition during his presentation of images and stories from his new book. The book signing and pop-up exhibit runs from 1-4pm, with an address by Klink at 1:30pm.
The CODA exhibit will be featured at Blitzer Gallery on Thursdays through Saturdays from 1-4pm, with a reception featuring live music on Friday, April 4, from 5-8pm. Information regarding the exhibit, including Klink’s presentation, can be found at codasantacruz.com/coda-and-photocarmel-2025.
