Come visit the office of Durham Central Market , a new neighborhood cooperative grocery, aiming to locate in the heart of Durham, and view a sci-fi digital photography series by local artist, Alan Welch!

Alan Welch's interest in fantasy and science fiction began as soon as he learned to read as a child in his native Florida. After finishing school in Dade County, he entered the world of commercial art and photography in the markets of Miami, Houston and Dallas, before finally relocating to the Raleigh/Durham area. Alan experimented with innovative image creation in cartooning, pen & ink, watercolor, and photography, before evolving his own unique brand of photo manipulation.

His passion for fantasy art led him towards a unique expression: combining various photographs into heroic fantasy images. The idea first surfaced in 1980, but it remained only a concept until the advent of digital photography and Photoshop allowed Alan to fully explore the possibilities of this new and unique media. Each of his works consists of multiple photographic images (up to 17) merged seamlessly into a new, imaginative scene.

"I try to create photographs that that can't possibly exist, and yet obviously do. I will only 'paint' an element, such as magic spells or mist, if that element cannot be photographed in the real world."

www.durhamcentralmarket.org