In 2010 I began to take these portraits of men in connection
with my growing psychoactive plants.I have been particularly interested in plants that have a widespread use
and significant economic and cultural impact, like tobacco, opium and cannabis.
My general idea is to use the plants as subjects in photographic botanical
images.Most of that work is still
in various stages of completion, with the exception of a tobacco portfolio,
which was completed in 2010. Tobacco
Part of my motivation for working with these unique plants
is to suggest their history with humans.With that goal in mind, I asked someone to sit for a portrait holding a
bouquet of dried tobacco leaves. Subsequently I took a second portrait with the
subject holding an opium flower.
The third portrait was a separation from incorporating
plants as subject matter.For that
image, I photographed a man with a snakeskin encircling his neck, which looked
like a collar from a formal portrait from the 16th or 17th
century.This image shifted
my focus and I became interested in suggesting positions of power or
occupations using minimal props.In most cases, the props have been derived from the natural world such
as the snakeskin, a wasp nest, or fragments from my closet, such as fake
fur.In developing this body of
work I acquired an interest in 16th and17th century
European portraiture of men depicting kings, warriors and noblemen.The subjects are wearing the fashion of
the time, which is opulent, excessive and feminine by today’s standards.
The subjects in these portraits are men in their mid-life
period, a time when people are generally the most secure in their
identity and perhaps have the most inner power.In a way, I am also working to address my own mid-life strengths
and vulnerabilities as I see signs of aging rapidly occurring in the areas I
can see visually, that is my skin and hair.
I have not used any female models at this point. Perhaps
photographing men, who are different enough from me is a softer way to address
issues of my own aging.
A couple of the images were combined from various shots
taken during the photographic session, but the majority are straight
images.They are inkjet prints on
photo rag and are approximately 45 x 30 inches in size.
Tobacco
In the
summer of 2009, I grew two types of tobacco plants from seeds.As they grew I became interested in the
enormous scale and vibrancy of their leaves, which are ultimately dried
and
smoked by humans, who become addicted to it.In
this work I have used the dried leaf bunches as a surface
for imagery to suggest that the plant, which has a complex relationship
with
humans, has inherited this history that has grown out on its leaves. The
images, which were applied using a temporary tattoo process, reference
the
history of tobacco during years when it was seen as a panacea for many
illnesses and an exotic practice. The introduction and use of tobacco
and the
practice of tattooing skin were imported around the globe by
sailors/pirates of
this same era.Other imagery comes
from commercially available temporary tattoos such as hearts and sculls,
which reference addiction and the fleeting nature of life. This body of work was completed in 2010.
Flowers
These
works combine parts from plants, animals, insects and synthetic products
that
merge into hybrid flower specimens.The images are constructed by importing objects that are placed
on a
scanner, which captures a high degree of detail, like an 8 x 10 inch
negative
in traditional photography.The
use of the scanner as a camera connects the work with the history of
straight
documentary that records botanical specimens, medical conditions and
forensic
evidence.The scanned images are
then manipulated digitally.The
amount of digital manipulation varies, but in the end the goal is that
they
appear as authentic.They are a collection
of specimens that may be from some future world that continues to be
affected
by natural selection and consumer desire. This portfolio was completed in 2007.
Bodywork
The images on this page represent work from 2004 and
2007.The 2004 work is constructed
digitally, but linked to the earlier Polaroid work in that it depicts the human
body as permeable and as something that can be manipulated.Rather than using props as I had done earlier, it is the body’s own details such as hair, bones or skin that become
exaggerated and reassembled. The second group of work represented on this page is
from 2007. In these images,
the body is combined with parts of plants and natural or synthetic objects to
suggest a merger with other life forms.
Polaroids
These images are straight, unmanipulated photographs using
natural lighting and props.They have a low-tech quality and look as if they may be documentation of
a home-based surgery, genetic deviation or altered state.I am inspired by medical images that
depict our fragile and affected bodies in a neutral way, providing evidence of
our vulnerability.These documents
are Polaroid prints, which are intimate in scale, fragile and unique. This work
was completed between 2001 and 2003.T
Captiva
Starting in 1999 through 2005, I photographed people in
public places, on the street, at events, in conventions, workplaces and
shopping malls.The subjects are
assuming the identity of pop culture icons, historical figures, fictional
characters and animals.Others
have medical devices, clothing applications or other miscellaneous details that
create the impression of a costume, an exaggeration or a layering of identity.
I became interested in this project as an outgrowth of my
job as the public events supervisor for the city of Huntington Beach, a
suburban southern California beach city. The city has a number of outdoor
events on the beach, in parks and on the streets that include patriotic
parades, historical reenactments, sporting competitions and holiday
events.A number of the images
have been taken in Huntington Beach during such events.Following my initial interest in
Huntington Beach, I expanded my search to other regional areas and many other
images come from throughout southern California.
The subjects have been photographed using the “mug shot”
tradition which was employed by early anthropologists or serious cultural
tourists using photography to catalog the exotic.The mug shot continues to be widely seen in identification
cards such as drivers licenses, ID cards and police arrest pictures.These are images taken for
reasons other than art.The
deadpan expression of the models is intended to present the best likeness of
their appearance in the most neutral fashion, as evidence.
The pictures were taken by a Polaroid Captiva camera.Polaroid film had been used for years on ID cards or to document
evidence, such as in crimes.Beyond its convenience as an instant image producer, it is a one-of-a-kind
record, since there is no negative.The uniform size of these Polaroids and their sturdy structure make them
seem like small same-sized print portraits that were mounted on cards and
traded and collected in the 1850’s and 60’s during the years that photography
was becoming more popularized and accessible.
Through this work, I am partly acting as an anthropologist,
searching for and cataloging the unusual or excessive.The series is named after the camera, Captiva, to reflect the hunting or capturing of images.Taken together, they form a collection
of sorts.The images are organized
and classified as specimens and placed in general categories based on criteria
such as formal qualities, assumed identity or like-minded transformations.
There are a group of photos of representations of Lincoln,
Elvis or Santa, the originals of whom are dead or non-existent, but who
continue to live on through impersonators and believers.A particular favorite is Lincoln, who
in real life was the first president to use photographs to spread his image,
making him an icon of a president and of a time and place.None of the likenesses are convincing,
but you still know who the subject is intending to be.With the right hat, sunglasses or
beard, anyone can suggest Lincoln, Elvis or Santa.
The obvious surface application of the alternative identity
becomes more of a merger than a complete change. While not completely convincing, these low-tech
transformations are oddly believable, even when you are asked to assume that a
woman is part bee, rabbit or cat.
