Artist Statement
Skin & Bones 2017
Everyday our eyes take in millions of complex impressions. Our brain filters, adjusts, judges, selects, and eliminates. It is only when we truly look and focus, do we really see what inspires us.
I became acutely aware of this process as I photographed the complex shade sails and the metal support beams of Mesa Arts Center in Mesa, AZ, which is the subject matter for the series Skin and Bones.
At first I was attracted to the beauty, magnitude and complexity of the building, and how the exterior seemed to echo what happened inside. The whole complex was dramatic and chaotic like theatre performances, the shade sails arced in repetition like a rhythm to music and the hinged metal panels that moved with a slight breeze seemed to dance to a beat of its own. Holding all this together were the beams weaving, connecting and supporting all the exterior features giving inner strength and stability to the outer beauty and grace.
It was not until I stepped back and slowed down did I recognize the simplicity of form wrapped and hidden within the chaos of the enormous structure before me. The forms and shapes kept drawing me closer in, to explore with being in or out of focus attempting to capture the expression of the heart of the centers role in the arts.
The resulting images of Skin and Bones are abstracted forms. They speak to me of composition, balance, mathematical rhythms, and harmony. They take something of enormous weight and complexity and bring it to the forefront of intimacy; a personal experience of the arts. I noticed the highlights of the sails (Skin) of delicately highlighted edges, translucency of solid material, and strong metal beams (Bones) gracefully holding shapes against the movement around them. The images became a world of its own, a microcosm, serene yet dynamic.
“The object of art is to give life shape.”
William Shakespeare