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One photo in photography class sparked a series of portraits that would one day get former Clarion photographer and alumna Rachael Roark her own photography showcase at the Working with Artist Gallery in Belmar.

Among her work were two of her favorites – a hand with silk beads and a hand cradling a bird’s nest. Nearby were family and friends eager to see her first portfolio on display. Rachael herself was confident but nervous.

“I was nervous about how it would be received in the art community,” said Roark. “But I knew that I had put 100 percent of my energy and creativity into this body of work. I had done everything within my power to produce work that I was happy with.”

In photography class one day, Roark was about to wash her hands free of paint when she noticed how artistic the paint and lines of her hands looked juxtaposed together. She quickly snapped a picture.

Later somebody bought the photo, remarking that it was the only digital work he had ever bought. The idea of “Extremity, ” the name of her future showcase, was born.

“I was pleasantly suprised when an art collector wanted to buy my art,” said Roark. “It has further driven me to produce better and better work.”

Years after that fateful day, Roark now has her own showcase.

“It has been a personal goal to show my work in galleries,  and I was thrilled to be able to show in a well respected gallery space,” said Roark.

Not too content though; he is already trying to figure out what to do next. Roark is currently assisting a photographer to become more familiar with the technical aspects of photography.

“Ideally, I would like to be working as an art director for an advertising agency while continuing to show and sell my photography work simultaneously as well. “I am learning the business side of being a photographer which will give me practical invaluable information selling my own work,” said Roark regarding working with a professional photographer. “It is also helping me discover other niches within the photography world that I was unaware of before.”

Roark worked with the Clarion as a photographer for three years and knows that working for the Clarion gave her the technical experience needed to achieve her portraits.

“The Clarion taught me how to converse in the language of photography as well as how take photographs in difficult lighting situations and of very different subjects,” said Roark.

This gallery would not have been possible without Roark’s family and friends, who she said she will be eternally grateful for letting her cover their hands in goo.

To view Rachel’s work visit www.cpacphoto.org/2011/08/extremity-rachael-rourke.