Sometimes I laugh, wondering why I went through all that trouble of getting a master’s degree in photography – just to spend most of my time photographing sunsets. Seriously though. I can’t be too hard on myself. I do make a lot of art, had solo exhibitions, have been published – but I just get so much pleasure in going outside and watching sunsets. Whatever drives you, right? Maybe all these sunsets will become something bigger one day.
While working on my Self-Portraits series, I made a lot of images that never saw the light of day. Strange ideas and experiments. Five years ago, I invented goggles that turn your eyeballs into flowers. Best idea yet. Patent pending… It’s fun seeing work that I forgot, and actually liking it years later. Been doing a lot of reminiscing lately.
I see that 10 year challenge is going around again on social media, so here is an interesting one. On the left is me from ten years ago, in 2012. Ten years earlier that that, in 2002, the Scranton Lace Company closed it’s doors and the gigantic factory was abandoned. I entered the neglected building and made this self-portrait. Now ten years later, in 2022, my girl photographed me on the beach. I feel like I look the same, and feel the same – just slightly more tortured by life… Just waiting for 2032 now.
This is really just a sketch. I work with pattern, symmetry, and movement quite often, but I am working on a project that involves many different layers. This was just a test animation I made to see how I can control various layers in time. The final work is much different than this – many layers all spinning and blending into each other. Simple but I hope for it to be hypnotizing, similar to this… also, I probably won’t call it “Spinny Spin” as that is stupid.