02/24/2026
Bob Wirtz: ๐ด๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ฐ๐ฃ๐ด๐ฆ๐ณ๐ท๐ฆ๐ฅ is opening this Saturday, February 28th at Ocean House Gallery.
For nearly forty years, Bob Wirtz has owned and operated Enterprise Records in Portland, Maine, buying and selling albums with a detail-oriented eye sharpened by decades of experience. That same attentiveness to nuance โ to the small marks, overlooked fragments, and subtle histories embedded in everyday objects โ carries into his artistic practice.
Wirtz works with what he has on hand. His frames are constructed from discarded cardboard gathered from a local recycling bin โ fragments of shipping labels, printed graphics, worn textures, and faded colors thoughtfully selected and composed. Sometimes the frame extends the mood of the photograph, sometimes it establishes it. Each piece is approached individually, one at a time, until, as he puts it, โthe cardboard stars align.โ
Wirtz travels back roads, visits small towns, and documents what many might pass without notice: old movie theaters, roadside restaurants, buildings encountered repeatedly yet rarely truly seen. He keeps a Leica camera in his glove compartment, ready for whatever might quietly reveal itself. Not thinking of himself as a photographer, he instead sees himself as someone trying to shine light on the fleeting, presenting the otherwise mundane in a way that calls attention to it.
We invite you to join us at Ocean House Gallery to experience this thoughtful and quietly compelling body of work during an opening reception with the artist this Saturday, February 28th from 3:00 - 5:00 PM. ๐ด๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ฐ๐ฃ๐ด๐ฆ๐ณ๐ท๐ฆ๐ฅ will be on view through April 3, 2026.
