Body Language

Early in my formation as an artist, I was introduced to non-traditional or alternative methods of creating a photographic image.  These variant techniques appealed to me because they allowed for more expressive options than the "straight" (undoctored) print. I came to see that the number of solutions to a single visual question were, essentially, infinite.  Later, my exploration of process and materials took me rather far afield. Some of the materials/techniques I employed included photographic emulsion applied onto a variety of materials, creating cameraless negatives, sewing on images, making sculpture from fabric, burnt matchsticks, plaster casting, and more.  But photography was always the home base from which I strayed and to which I inevitably returned. The current work is yet another foray within the arena of photography, but rather than utilizing the camera to create the negative or "file," I employ the scanner. 

Digital collage is an ideal way of working because it affords me the ability to endlessly tweak the elements before and after I subject them to the scanner’s eye.  I can immediately see what I have, and what I want to work on.  The high resolution of the scanner provides the photographic detail that I want, while also giving me creative control over framing  as well as content.  In Photoshop I can fix minor blemishes, or significantly transform the imported file.  Using Photoshop in conjunction with the scanner allows me to conveniently marry the detail and "factuality" of the photograph with the flexibility and expressionistic possibilities of painting.

My interest in gesture and silhouette is long-standing, and I have returned to that territory in a new form with this work.  I find myself most drawn to pictures which potentially tell a story.  Here, the pose suggests the scenario while the details sketch in the story.  Body language and context contribute pieces to the puzzle of meaning, while color adds an emotional layer and directs the eye. Not limited by the real world, I choose colors that suit the emotional climate I seek.  Objects, too, become symbolic in this often sparsely populated world.  Houses, moody skies, birds, plants, water and fire are often present. The goal is not the depiction of reality as much as an interest in describing a feeling or emotion that rings true.