Photographer David Hibbard’s newest exhibit called “Transience”

Menlo Park resident David Hibbard is exhibiting photographs from his “Transience” series at Shift Gallery in Seattle in November. The images were taken along the Northern California coast during the pandemic.

Of this series, David writes: “I grew in Southern California, swimming in the sea. The ocean has such a powerful hold on my imagination that I have never lived very far from it. The ephemeral quality of coastal light enchanted me as a child; today it enchants me still. At the the beach, with my camera, I’m alert to moments of transience: the foam tracings left by a wave, clouds whipped and blown by the wind, or that rarest of sights, a white rainbow emerging from the ocean mists.

“Since many of you live far from Seattle, I’ve put the images I’m exhibiting on my website. You can view them here.

“I’ve already gotten questions about white rainbows (also called fogbows). They do indeed exist; they occur under certain conditions in light fog or mist. The water droplets are far too small to refract light into the spectral colors of a proper rainbow, so what comes back to you, the viewer, is a glowing arc of pure white. Nearly all of the white rainbows I’ve seen have been ephemeral, lasting a few seconds to perhaps a minute or two. The white rainbow on my exhibit announcement (shown above) was a glorious exception. It was especially brilliant, and it lasted for nearly an hour. It was a privilege to have seen it.”

The show runs through December 2. David will give an artist talk at the gallery on November 11 at 2:00 pm. Shift Gallery is at 312 South Washington Street in downtown Seattle. The gallery is open Fridays and Saturdays from 12:00 to 4:00 pm, and by appointment ((206) 399-7255).

Photo — Fogbow #11, Sonoma Coast — by David Hibbard; used with permission