NOTATIONS OF THE ETHEREAL
As we all know, life can be cruel and kind, gentle or harsh, and will never tell us what is just around the corner. Several years ago, while working in my tomato garden, I experienced a massive tear of the right rotator cuff. The surgery to repair the injury was only 40% successful, resulting in limited use of the right arm. The major limitation is that I cannot lift objects of any weight and hold them steady; meaning most of my cameras, and for whatever reason, I find using a tripod difficult. I have to stand still and think. I find this a self-limiting condition. One day I realized that I had a camera in my pocket that I used daily to make snapshots for Facebook and Instagram. I also knew that view cameras were making a resurgence, and many people were making tintype photographs. I downloaded a tintype app from the Apple Store with no idea of what purpose it would have for me. After several years now, I have made five bodies of work that I will print. The photographs seen here come from a series of twenty iPhone Tintype images. For the first time, I have allowed myself to use intense color to alter the tintype in meaning, symbolism, and presentation. When seen as a group, they "jump" at you, demanding attention, asking the proverbial question, "What is this?" “The mystery in the castle is the moment of desire.”
It is worthy to note I do not pursue the ethereal or intangible with my camera; the metaphysical cannot be pursued; it must find you. As is I like to say, "Light is the poetic reminder of faith."
