RELICS ?

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What’s this RELICS series all about?

Relics is a series of portraits of everyday objects that are past their prime.  Once relied upon, they have been forgotten or discarded.  I photographed each item singly in order to reveal it’s individual essence.  Cracks and scuffs of hard use.  Mended hinges.  Patches worn smooth by frequent polishing.  Looking at each piece through my camera lens, I came to appreciate how often function dictates form, and how frequently the form is right.

Many of these objects may have been used for years by one person, while others passed through many hands.  Several have been used in homes, offices, and a school gym.  One was taken on house calls by a country doctor.  All of them have stories.  Selecting and photographing them, I began to think about the events in my life to which objects have borne witness.  In a sense they are our partners in life.

Over the years, I have photographed neighbors, nomads in the Sahara Desert, classic cars, icebergs, and now, a table fan.  Each time, I have attempted to capture something of my subject’s essential spirit.  In this project I have tried to achieve that by selecting items that display a unique aura, and in many cases reveal the wear and tear acquired from frequent use.

For me, contemplating their past has raised more questions than answers.

CRITICAL MASS FINALIST 2012

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I was happy to learn that I was chosen as a finalist for the 2012 Critical Mass Competition for my “RELICS” series.  The finalists’ submissions will now be presented to over 200 gallery owners, museum curators, private collectors and magazine and book editors from across the United States and several countries abroad.  Fifty photographers will then be chosen as the winners of this competition.

For more information on the finalists and judges:

CRITICAL MASS 2012 FINALIST LIST

EQUIVALENTS 2012

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I’m happy to announce that three images from my “Relics” series were chosen for PCNW’s EQUIVALENTS Exhibition. The show runs from August 3rd – September 18th, 2012.  Photo Center Northwest, Seattle, WA.  “Fred’s Bag” (top photo) received an Honorable Mention Award.

EQUIVALENTS: PCNW’s 17th Annual Photo Competition Exhibition was juried by W.M. Hunt, esteemed Curator and Collector.  This annual juried show remains amongst the most popular in Photo Center’s gallery program. This year 257 photographers from around the globe entered the competition with over 2000 images. W.M. Hunt selected 46 photographers displaying a variety of concepts and subject matter.

“Artists Charles Purvis and Lauren Marsolier both explore shifts in the human notions of the real, the experience and impression of what’s unseen, implied and possible. However, Purvis does so by cutting and pasting fragments of altered photographs, while Marsolier digitally constructs environments that introduce us to a new stage of abstraction. Monika Merva’s emotional portraits navigate the melodies of commonplace and Robert Moran’s nostalgic typologies tell the stories of objects once relied upon.“

Juror Bio: W.M. Hunt is a champion of photography – collector, curator and consultant who lives and works in New York. He is the author of “The Unseen Eye: Photographs from the Unconscious” published in 2011 by Aperture in the US, Thames & Hudson in the UK and as “L’Oeil Invisible” by “Actes Sud” in France. Highlights from his collection have been seen at the George Eastman House and in Europe in Arles, Lausanne, and Amsterdam.

17th Annual Juried Soho Photo National Photography Competition

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Queen’s Street – Lerwick, Scotland
 Dot Road, Newfoundland
17th Annual Soho Photo 2012 National Competition
Above: My photos selected for the exhibition by Forrest Old, juror.
July 5 – August 4, 2012
Soho Photo Gallery, 15 White Street, New York City