Paradox

Lao Tzu wrote: “Under heaven all can see beauty only because there is ugliness. All can know good as good only because there is evil.” Each of us is given the ability to create our own truths. Our mind influences how we choose to view the world, and determines what we see as truth or fiction, good or evil. It is our thoughts which shape our world. Dream of loneliness and you will live a lonely life. Dream of paradise and you will live there too. These paradoxes form the many layers of truth which shape my work, allowing the viewer to interpret the images based on their own experiences and biases. Do you see loneliness or the peacefulness of solitude? Do you see dreams or nightmares? How has your outlook on life changed as you aged? Paradox takes us from the carefree days of childhood into darkness until we can find hope and renewal again. I am using the theories and techniques from the historic Pictorialist movement to create images which more closely resemble paintings. With deliberate camera manipulation and layering hand painted or made textures, images based more on my dreams than on factual representations emerge. The use of old and new techniques in creating real and imaginary worlds serves as a further paradox, acting as a metaphor to my own life in forming evocative images which allow the viewer to impose their own mood and story upon.