Michelle

One of the core themes in my art, both photographic and in drawing/painting, is figurative work, and I often return to it when I’ve hit a creative standstill in some way. Figure work can allow me to explore through concepts, but mostly it enables me to think in terms of a formal tradition that I am generally working against otherwise. In this way, there is simplicity of expression and the excitement of approaching the subject in a completely organic way (I prefer to react to what’s there rather than obsessively preplan these shoots). It is a reset, in a sense.

I have known Michelle for several years, and I have thought for almost as long that she would be a terrific model. She is a natural, in being both incredibly beautiful and in having an emotional depth and intelligence that registers in the images as relatable, maybe even a little vulnerable. Her eyes forge a connection and communicate with sincerity. The camera is only able to frame, it does not bring these qualities, and I feel lucky to have worked with her on this set (and hope to work with her again soon).

 

 

 

Over the last year or so, Michelle has overcome challenges to ensure a healthier, happier life for herself, and she has been public about sharing her struggles, as well as illustrating her impressive fortitude. As I have reported, I’ve had a rocky time of things, over several years, that really came to a low point this year. Reading about Michelle’s experiences from her perspective certainly helped me with some of my own issues. Another aspect of these images, is that I think we are both proving a point, in a sense, maybe even the same one.

 

 

 

 

 

 

“A photograph can be the object of three practices (or of three emotions, or of three intentions): to do, to undergo, to look.” -Roland Barthes

“…[T]he world cannot be discovered by a journey of miles, no matter how long, but only by a spiritual journey, a journey of one inch, very arduous and humbling and joyful, by which we arrive at the ground at our feet, and learn to be at home.” -Wendell Berry