"A Meditation On/Through Colour" - Artist Statement (2009)

"A Meditation On/Through Colour"

Wassily Kandinsky said that “color is a means of exerting a direct influence upon the soul.” For me, this explains the ability it has to speak a very powerful language within the overall aesthetic experience.

I have always had a fascination with the power of color to force an emotional response and captivate the willing viewer. “A Meditation On/Through Colour” is my personal artistic record of the complex colors inherent in common, everyday settings. Yet, this tragically unrealized beauty hides before our very eyes. With “A Meditation…” my intent is to promote recognition and appreciation for the spiritual quality and raw power of color using my photography as a visual narrative.

The intensity of the aesthetic experience is most obvious, and perhaps strongest, in the use of complimentary colors. The points of visual interest generated by the use of color within a composition evoke a sense of drama or excitement. In the Jellyfish series, a poetic contrast unfolds in the juxtaposition of fiery, violent blues, reds, and oranges with the grace and fluidity in the shape and texture of the fish. The complimentary colors meet with a harsh beauty while the intensity is immediately countered by the soft lines of the natural movement of the subject. The complimentary and contrasting colors exist simultaneously, with polarized energy, in an intricate and subtle paradox. Static blue provides a ground to a vibrant symphony of color, ranging from the brightest burning orange to the cold and rigid charcoal. Even in the seemingly colorless depiction of the jellyfish, the glowing red embers burst out from the shadows, enhancing the stark and lively silhouette. Thus we see Kandinsky’s illustration of this very balance, describing the color red as “a steady burning passion, a self-confident power that cannot easily be subdued, but can be extinguished by blue as red-hot iron by water.”

Within my entire body of work, diverse color relationships are explored. I hope to challenge each viewer to look at his or her own unique, colorful world a little closer. Whether its wit or mysticism adorns the cover of a favorite novel or resides in the breathtaking, infinite glory of a sunset, the dynamic intersection of color is all around.