"The place in which I’ll fit will not exist until I make it."
— James Baldwin
black & white & read all over
I have been fascinated for some time with old black and white photos.
I love how the light and shadows speak and how the imperfections in the old processes give a certain character or patina.
This is why my latest work is in charcoal or graphite… I want to try to recreate the feeling or emotion that can come from an old photo - there always seems to be so much more to the story than what is in the print.
TTV photos (through the viewfinder) and polaroids can give this kind of feeling as well.
Lately I have been searching through books of 1800’s - early 1900’s photos to get inspired and see the qualities of those old pictures.
I have also been looking at Ansel Adams’ work and how he is a master of the use of black and white and how expressive that can be.
I have tried mixing some silver paint in when I gesso boards for charcoal drawings to try to get a bit of that silver-gelatin look. Not sure if I have been successful with that, but I will keep at it.
"Anything can be art. All you have to do is change your mind."
— John Cage
"Don’t think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it’s good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art."
— Andy Warhol
