John,
Shortly after I sent that email to the list I came across an article in
Watercolor magazine entitled "Keeping Up With Milford Zornes." Here is
a master artist who is also struggling with declining eyesight.
Quoting from the article:
About painting, he underscores that having technique, or a visual
language, is only the beginning. A painter, most importantly, must
decide what he or she wants to say. "It is not often that you find an
artist strong enough to expand beyond the standard language and
develop a personal style," he comments. "You don't become a painter
to be a painter, but to develop a language to communicate the things
that move you."
So maybe what you are saying about having an artist's statement is that
there is a statement being made by the work itself, which is the more
important thing. For instance, just looking at your Kokomo shots, it is
clear that you wanted to capture the feel of the place and its dynamic
environment. Being able to articulate it probably helps.
I think this is where my stumbling block is. My previous email
statement "If someone put a blank canvas in front of me and said to
paint something, I'm at a loss." Just goes to show, my problem is
finding something to express, something that moves me, and probably
what others mean when they have a vision of something they want to
photograph. So the real art in 'art' is finding what one wants to
express. I think I got it. I think I'm a competent enough technical
photographer, the challenge is finding a direction to go with it.
Of some of the photos that you mentioned, the children on the beach I
wanted to capture their spontaneous play. No one directed them to be
that way. During a week vacation in the Carribean, these kids met and
developed their own bonds outside of the adults. The people walking
down the hill was at a backyard wedding, and I wanted to isolate them
by panning. Some of the other photos, display size matters.
Wayne
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