Into The Blue

Rehoboth Art League (RAL) invites art enthusiasts to embrace an exhibition with a unique twist. Kicking off the new year, alongside the 11th Regional Juried Photography Exhibition, running Jan. 9 through Feb. 8, 2026, the gallery will feature a captivating showcase by the exhibition’s awards judge, John Steck Jr., a Baltimore-based artist whose work refuses to sit still.

Nocturne in Blue consists of two different elements. The first is long-duration cyanotypes that are in process, which are exposed/made during the entire exhibition. The prints are made with flowers and plant materials foraged from the area. The second element of the exhibition is recently made cyanotypes—distinctive blue-hued images created without a camera.

John is a visual artist and educator who originally hails from Chicago. He is a maker of photographic images and ephemeral objects. Using light-sensitive emulsions, he creates photographs that both fade and form over time. This work addresses our complex relationship with time, memory and impermanence. John serves as the photography coordinator and senior lecturer at Johns Hopkins University. His accomplishments include a BFA from Massachusetts College of Art and Design, an MFA from the San Francisco Art Institute and exhibitions in six countries.

In a process that feels deeply connected to the land, John forages for local flora—gathering plants and blooms—and places them directly onto light-sensitive surfaces. These pieces are then exposed to natural light for weeks. The result? Images that slowly emerge and evolve in real time.

During the opening reception on Friday, Jan. 9 from 5-7 p.m., visitors will see these works at one stage of their life, while those returning later in the exhibition may find the images have shifted, faded or deepened. It is a rare opportunity to witness artwork in the act of becoming.

RAL will host a Gallery Talk: From the judge with John Steck on Jan. 10 at 10 a.m.

By treating photographs as impermanent objects rather than fixed records, John reinforces that the beauty of nature is transitory and that light never appears the same twice. CS