Artist Statement for "Film Noir":
My pictures tell a story. Not in the traditional narrative style, where a complete concept or linear plot is described. Rather, the way I arrange figures and compose the image creates a scene that evokes a response in the viewer, drawing them in and encouraging them to become engaged by inducing them to fill in the back story themselves. For this exhibit I have created a body of work based on images from classic film noir. Each piece is created using a multi-step process. First I procure the source image from a film. Sometimes I find images from the internet, but more often I capture a screen shot with my camera directly from my TV screen as I play the movie. From this image I create a detailed charcoal drawing. Then I make a small collage based on the drawing. The collage’s tiny size makes it necessary for me to simplify and abstract the shapes in the image. I pay careful attention to simplifying shapes, color relationships, and the interaction of darks and lights. I sometimes start on a dark brown ground, which further helps me to edit out unnecessary details and distil the image to its essential parts. I then create a large piece based on the small collage.
Film noir are modern day myths. In spite of the decades that have passed, the intrigues and sensual tensions of the relationships on screen feel like a relevant reflection of my own life. I experience it as a cathartic, allegoric investigation into the inner workings of my relationships and my position in society. The characters are a part of a web of intrigue and moral ambiguity where everyone is susceptible to the workings of society’s shady underside. Their exploits involve daring and danger, complicated plot twists and mysteries to be solved. The sense of adventure reflects my delight in experiencing and pondering the mysteries around me. The classic noir style characterizes the sensual, aesthetic aspects that compel me in this work. In each picture I create, I have carefully crafted an image that is visually arresting and implies a relationship narrative that compels the viewer to wonder, and reflects the enigmatic complexities of my own life.
Top to bottom: Ambivalence; Anticipate; Backlight; Block; Carpark; Chandeliler; Context; Keys; Lamplight; Office II; Passion In The Suburbs; Search
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