kitchen life # 64-65 ~ reinterpretation of objects
Friday, February 6, 2015 at 01:44PM 
Bonhomme and morning window light ~ Au Sable Forks, NY - in the Adirondack PARK • click to embiggen
kitchen sink ~ Au Sable Forks, NY - in the Adirondack PARK • click to embiggenIn her Juror's Statement for the Marvelous Things: The Art of Still Life exhibition Aline Smithson wrote:
I love still lifes. In this era of mounting distractions, the still life genre allows for slowed down time and consideration. I love the meditative process of creating something special out of a group of objects that are often considered mundane and lackluster. I love recognizing the still lifes that surround our daily lives, whether it be a tableau on a dresser top, a single flower elevated through light and composition, or a pile of discarded objects along side a road. Many of the photographs that I selected for the exhibition look at still lifes with a unique point of view—made fresh by the reinterpretation of objects, seeing ordinary things anew, considering new subject matter to be used in a still life, or simply by bringing a level of excellence to their image making.
With that judging criteria in Aline Smithson's mind, I was honored but not incredibly surprised, although most certainly pleasantly so, that she chose one of my pictures for the exhibition. Not surprised inasmuch as her thoughts, re: the making of still life pictures (and pictures in general) are very similar to mine.
Reader Comments (1)
It expanded my concept of still life.
I've amassed a modest collection of smaller scale urban photographs, but I've never been sure what to make of them. Thinking of them as found still lifes is proving to be useful. It's given me a context for photographing things like the discarded mattresses and umbrellas I frequently encounter.