Outside The Photography Box
My Artistic Explorations in Conservation Surrealism
I had the great fortune of growing up as a child who painted. From a very young age, I felt compelled to draw and paint animals, items, and people. And boy, was I hard on myself. In my youth, it was raw for me. I had an image in my head and I wanted it on paper or canvas. When it invariably didn’t turn out exactly as I had envisioned, I would become very frustrated. I would wad the paper up and toss it, curse at G-d, or pound the canvas with my closed fists.
That was part of my evolution. That youngling had a vision. She was visited by animals in dreams and images that needed to come to life artistically.
Today this fretting over perfection no longer occurs, but the animals do. They visit my dreams with messages.
Over the years, as I painted on canvas, I learned not only to accept the journey of discovery as a painting came to life, but grew excited to see the variation and final piece. When it differed from my original concept, that was a-okay.
As my desire to bring animals into the hearts of people grew, I came to feel that photography might grant me more reach, for myriad reasons. So on my hikes and kayaking adventures, I brought along whatever camera I could afford.
Thirty years of journey has led me to a place where I mostly do a mixture of work: traditional wildlife photography and art pieces uses my images. I wouldn’t want to stay only inside the “traditional” practice and interpretation of photography. Start throwing “rules” at my artistic soul and I will buck you.
As I have mentioned in previous blog pieces, I see artists as filters of information. We each have our own experience and skill set. The Universe filters through it to offer interpretations that may be unique to each viewer. That’s the beauty of diversity.
Recently I’ve begun to use my wildlife images in a genre that I call “conservation surrealism.” I dub it that because many of the images are dream like, with large animals and objects, potentially warped or odd in some way, and a dreamscape type setting. As is typical, my personal message is one of love and respect for animals, and a pleading for conservation.
Within this blog piece are a few of my recent pieces which are composites — made of many — and enhanced through “painting” with my digital brush. I don’t paint on canvas much anymore. Too much expense and not as much reach for where I want my message to extend. But that just means I’ve grown in a different direction. Something new. We will see where this goes…
In this piece — As It Is In Heaven — my little niece pets a lion as he sleeps on a beach side. A great blue heron flies overhead. This was inspired as my growing, animal loving niece began to ask her mother questions about heaven and whether or not animals went there upon the ending of their earth life. It was made from an image of a lion that I took in Africa, and from images taken in different parts of Florida, at different times. And it was brought together using several tools and brushes in Photoshop and Lightroom. I literally have a pen/paintbrush that allows me to paint on the screen as I would have in former years with a brush and canvas. That affords me the manual aspect of creative exploration that I need.
Each of these pieces is unique and has a story behind them. I think what I will do is take them separately, and explain them in later blog posts. But this gives those of you interested in their birth a taste of what is to come, in case you are interested in hearing more of the musings of an artist.
I’ve been experimenting in some other genres with my wildlife photography and I don’t know that I even have a name for them. Perhaps they also fall into conservation surrealism. It’s hard to say. But I’ll continue to share and hope you will join me on my wildlife & conservation journey!
