WITNESSING ART IN EVERYDAY LIFE
Visually, the world around us is full of miracles. To witness and relate to other materials or living creatures in our world is to recognize our own insignificance. It is a miracle that both a docile moth and I are able to be present as the sun rays first rise above the horizon.
While the moth might not recognize the weight of existence, I certainly do and I cherish it. When I am able to better understand something or simply revel in its simplicity by capturing an appearance in image, the visual aspects seem to speak more about its true form.
While the outside surface is captured on film (or digital sensor in this case) and we see it's textures and appearance, what presides underneath in not always seen. Some may call it inner beauty, or existential truth, either way it is more valuable when I am able to capture a hint of this spirit in the image.
Moth Fibers over Wood-grain, 2017. Cropped black and white digital photograph.
By de-saturating the image (above), the relationship between texture in the wood-grain and texture of the moth wings become more analogous. Only the vibrancy of the wing fibers under sunlight separates the moth from its surroundings.
But to allow color to describe itself, the shimmering quality of something ethereal or beyond the surface seems to vitalize the image. Perhaps the image below is a superior angle, or better focus, but I sense it contains more.
I knew when this particular image was taken, that it had something else. I remember this shot intimately, and it feels more personal to look at than the others. It is a feeling that is hard to describe, but which I hope helps you see that the quality that makes a photograph a piece of art is something hard to reason, but easy to realize. It is something felt and not always seen in the technical quality of the images.
Moth Fibers over wood-grain, 2017. Color digital photograph.