Over the past week, I published two articles, experimental/play and covid-19 impact, in conjunction with using a new series of photographs that I have been creating. I am trying to get my head around this new series of experimental photographs that appear like an organic versions of the Abstract Expressionist movement form the 1950’s and 1960’s. Crazy cool!
I really enjoy these images as well as the process to obtain these, and as as much as I try, I have trouble anticipating (per-visualizing) the resulting images when I am creating these photographs. I know I am composing the pictorial framing, but the ensuing process results in image that take me totally by surprise. Looking at these images, I can not recall what I was actually photographing at the moment. I have started to take a reference photo of what I am working with to help with the recall, but the results are really unanticipated.
Part of my problem is that I want to focus on projects that are related to aspects of memory. As of now, these photograph do not appear to work in that conceptually space. Nevertheless I am fascinated with the results. So yes, I will continue to work with this process while sort this out.
These are ambiguous and mysterious “photographs”. The middle focus point allows the foreground and background to become less defined and create really interesting light patterns. Nevertheless, this is totally in line with my experimental/play process and thus more works of art than photography per se, while using photography as the underlying medium. I sense a strong element of emotional and lyrical qualities that employ some very organic components. Because of the organic nature of these photographs, there are some really interesting colors intermingled with these shapes. It will be interesting to spend some time experimenting with some larger 24 x 35″ prints including working with the Hahnemuhle Photo Metallic papers.
In a sense, these photographs imbue some of the visual characteristics of the Chinese Liu Guan Lue Yin, (Flow of Light Brush the Shadow), which is also about memory. hmmmmm.
Cheers, Doug
Featured photograph: Untitled (Arroyo Trabuco) copyright 2020 Douglas Stockdale
My upcoming events, some that are in a state of flux:
Update! Medium Photo 2020 Workshop: Developing a Creative Book workshop that I will be leading, (tentatively) September 24 – 27th, 2020, a four-day extended weekend workshop in San Diego.
Medium Photo 2020 Lecture Series, I will be giving a one-evening lecture Artist Books as Art Objects on Friday, March 20th, from 7:30 – 9pm at the You Belong Here artist venue, located at 3619 El Cajon Blvd, San Diego, California 92104. TBD
Revised closing reception is still okay as of this date…
Los Angeles Center of Photography (LACP) Faculty Exhibition, in Los Angeles at the new LACP gallery, located at 566 Washington Blvd. The exhibition opens March 21st and the closing reception is Saturday, April, 18, 2020, from 7-10pm.
Singular Images 