path of ascent04.05.09

In honor of the fact that my graduation from Kendall College of Art and Design (where I completed my MFA degree in photography) was almost a year ago I thought I would show some of my work that I did while pursuing my degree.  The below project is a one that I created utilizing a large format camera with 4×5 negatives (think olden days where the photographer used a camera the size of a tank and threw a black blanket over his/her head to snap the shot)  … I used a large format camera because I felt that it forced me to slow down (which I felt necessary to fit with my concept) and used extremely slow shutter speeds (ranging from 1 minute to 20 minutes) to create the somewhat surreal feeling.  I have to admit that I have always truly enjoyed working with film and definitely miss using it (which is why I am going to be incorporating into my work soon:) Below is a snippet from my artist statement about the concept (if you are interested, if not, just scroll below for the eye candy:) “In this body of work, A Path of Ascent, I am exploring the landscape as a feeling, as opposed to landscape as a locality.  My desire is that the viewer approaches the work with an eye that does not merely study the topographical elements of the image, but an eye that projects emotion and value into the landscape.  I invite the onlooker’s experiences and temperament in order to allow an uninhibited interpretation of the works.  The techniques I utilize in the imagery blur associations with specific environment as well as specific time, thereby broadening the accessibility and range of interpretation.  These methods also skew the familiar in the natural and man-made world to a deepened harmony that invites meditation.  Moving beyond the literal, my aspiration is that A Path of Descent provides a release from the psychosomatic image laden world and leads the observer to a world of simplicity, aesthetic beauty, and indefinite time.” If you are interested in purchasing any of the images I set up a gallery where they can be ordered … just CLICK HERE (note: all prints with come with a hand-signed custom matte … so the outside dimensions are as follows … 8×12 = 16×20 outside dimension … 12×18 = 20×24 outside dimension … and 16×24 = 30×40 outside dimension) enjoy

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