Zelda Zinn

Body Language

2003 - 2004
Early in my formation as an artist, I was introduced to non-traditional methods of creating a photographic image. These techniques allowed for more expressive options than the "straight" (undoctored) print. This work is yet another foray within the arena of photography, but this time employing the scanner as camera. 

Digital collage allowed for endlessly tweaking the elements before and after scanning. The scanner’s high resolution provided the photographic detail, while also allowing creative control over framing as well as content. Using Photoshop in conjunction with the scanner allowed 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 returned to that territory in a new form where the pictures intimate a narrative. 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 chose colors that suited the emotional climate I sought. Objects, too, became symbolic in this sparse world. Houses, moody skies, birds, plants, water and fire are often present. The goal was not the depiction of reality as much as an interest in describing a feeling or emotion that rings true.