#1 & #24

Fall 2008 #1 & #24

Fall 2008 #1 & #24

This is one from my archives. I took this photo with my Spartus Full Vue, hence the square format. I was on a whole tangent of shooting straight up into the sky for a couple semesters. Here is the artist statement from this project:

"As an artist I strive to create art that is simple and easily understood. I find myself and the world around me to be extremely complex. I ponder them all the time. I try to make sense of something that I will never fully understand and become frustrated. I am a very emotional person and my feelings almost always take over in a way I cannot control and I again become frustrated. The most appealing art for me is art that can be summed up in one sentence or thought. The art I create can usually be described by "this is beautiful because the elements and principles of art are working cohesively." The emotions I most express in my artwork are peace and simplicity. It is an escape from my usual experience of chaos and difficulty.


For this project I took my usual formal approach to photography and gave it the constraint that I would be pointing my lens straight up. The unique viewfinder of my Spartus Full Vue led me to shooting in this manner. Holding the viewfinder like a regular camera, out in front of me, pointed the lens into the sky, exposing me to a new perspective. For this project I was in search of interesting compositions using the elements and principles of art as my guide.


I hope that when person views these photographs that he or she simply sees shapes, lines, pattern, etc., and how they come together to create something visually interesting. Perhaps the viewer takes them a step further and gains an appreciation for the point of view expressed by pointing the camera straight up. These photographs are meant to be taken at face value, and what you see is what you get. "

Links:
Elements of Art
Principles of Art