Artist Statement - Illusionary Reality

Illusionary Reality is an advanced, complex study of the everyday image - the image that we may see everyday as we pass by scenes, yet don’t take the time to view the beauty and surprises found in the passerby view. Or even simple scenes that we do not notice when care is not essential. My study involves the specific compositional elements that include illusionary plasticity, selective focusing techniques, active framing, a relatively sharpened balance, contrast of hue and saturation, and natural and ambient light. These compositional elements are the integral parts of my view - the scope and sequence of my series of images. These elements bound my series and aid in the creation of my unique view of the world.

My images are presented in a focused, fine art genre, in a medium-based format, where the narrative is a secondary focus, illustrated by the complexities that we sometimes miss, hence having a background that is not “focused” in our minds. I am presenting these images in order to explore and experiment with the fundamental, conceptual, and compositional form-based practices of the art of photography, for the sake of creating art and self-expression. My series is meant to be a creative exploration in order to investigate aesthetics and experiment with the medium. I, as the art-maker and photographer, am working in tandem with what is already in the scene when it’s approached for image making, but never changing the scene.

We have the ability to understand so much more than what we are able to visualize in a limited sense. Our focus can sometimes be our biggest distraction when attempting to understand what we see right in front of us. We often miss the larger view, the “big picture,” when we choose to limit ourselves to the familiarity of a certain scene. This is the narrative connection that I want these images to create for the audience.

The images that I have presented are personal on the most basic of levels. These images are my experiences; they are my visual connection to the world that surrounds me. It is important for me to make these images because they have the power to connect me to my everyday experiences and through that, I hope to have the audience also find their own delight or power in their everyday visual situation. These images are a way for me to narrate my present and power in the moment, and I hope to illicit the same connection for the audience in order to have them foster their own connection to that same powerful experience. This is a very important life-lesson, in my opinion, and can give universal perspective for how we all, as citizens of this planet, interact with our collective surroundings.