statement
DESPITE THE PAIN - A 5 YEAR COLLECTION OF ABSTRACT PHOTOGRAPHY
The evolution of perspective from the individual to the cosmic. Five years, five collections to form one snapshot. When the camera moves, the world becomes a large palette of infinite colors, line and geometry. These ‘snapshots’ start off as swabs of earth components; it’s textures, color, patterns and movement and they evolve with every year, adding greater complexity until a final “Creation” series.
After years of isolation due to crippling physical pain and over eight months of hospitalization, I emerged from a dark cave and witnessed a world throbbing with light and color. I could no longer do normal photography.
This collection attempts to reflect the microcosm and macrocosm. The journey does this by mirroring and taking inspiration from two paths. The Monarch butterfly from cocooned (New Papillon Series) migration (Migration Series), mating (Union Series), conception (Conception Series) and offspring (Creation Series). Mirroring my own life from isolation to emergence then from travel (terrain subgroup) and finally to love (see subgroups below).
The second inspiration mirrors the evolution of the universe from it’s seed state of repose to the early chaos and finally to the life-forming creations. Both paths declare the successful story of creation despite the intensity of the journey.
The final series leaves abstraction and enters our world of creation to show the offspring phase in the evolution of the Monarch and the universe. This series uses a single image from a mountain, a patch of dirt or small section of a muddy stream and with a stitching technique, duplicates it.
The evolution of perspective from the individual to the cosmic. Five years, five collections to form one snapshot.
COLLECTION TITLES INFO:
DESPITE THE PAIN – Series/Subgroups
NEW PAPILLON
Cocooned
Emergence
Culmination stages
MIGRATION
Stirrings
Evolution
Terrain stages
UNION
Co-Creation
Forging
Emergent stages
CONCEPTION
Conception
Incubation
Creation stages
CREATION
Muddy Stream
Water
Mountains and Bushes
Trees and Dirt
Please note: *The Creation series (final series) uses no digital photography, kaleidoscopic methods or microscopic imaging to create the patterns seen and the same image is replicated. Simple processing techniques are implemented like dodging and burning plus color enhancing in order to accent the intricate symmetry, geometry and archetypal components that already exist in the original nature captured.
The mobile, abstract art (digital collage + digital painting) and self-portraits have been done on a smart phone. I’m normally drawing from the experience of living with chronic pain; the horrors and battles as well as the bliss from a relished moment of normalcy
Like my last collection, I'm very interested in the evolution of perspectives. From a subjective, "I" - first person view to a cosmic consciousness view of the grand "we" and every step in between. I'm investigating the evolution of these perspectives in new creations. I am only at the beginning.
I am also interested in the issues, climate change, black lives matter and human rights which are occasionally reflected in the work.
I look for textures, colors, shapes and lines that I can take with my iPhone then with many layers, the images are used (then sometimes decollaged) with a combination of digital collage and digital painting. I’m particularly fond of the app Enlight which easily enables me to mask in certain elements of a photo or effect.
I have had daily migraines plus other disabling pain syndromes for nearly twenty years now so rather than wait for a time when I can be more active with my camera or paintbrush, I have decided to utilize this remarkable little computer I hold in my hand. A studio that is a 5 inches by 2.3 inches. This tool is perfect for those of us limited by our physical bodies and bedridden most of the time. I am exploring the boundaries of this new technology.