Artist's Statement (re-re-visited)

Happy to be living simply.

This collection of images aims to give you, the viewer, an insight into understanding that once  you find, and then pursue something you are truly passionate about, all the simple things in life just become that much more valued and appreciated.

No family. No big-screen television. No microwave. No large fridge, or even a proper bed to sleep on each night is all a part of my current day to day life, but personally.. it just doesn't seem to bother me. Why? Because i have fresh air in my lungs, food in my belly and i am living a life of photography in a stunning part of Australia with an un-known amount of possibilities ahead of me. And i love it !

Finally, it is important for me to balance a busy lifestyle with moments of solitude and reflection in order to refresh and do it all again with all that i have to give. I have tried to depict this in these photographs.


May you enjoy :]

D.

Further thoughts on this..

Even though at times it is difficult to "let go" of an image, I have enjoyed the whole editing process and feel i am continuing to make good progress towards finalising it all so i can then move on to considering how to present / print / display it all ready for submission.


A thought i had was to visit a local gallery space like The Photography Room  or PhotoAccess etc and take a collection of photographs of there walls, then return to my computer to clone out any work back to just a set of white walls and then super-impose in my final collection of images to give a virtual representation of my work as a whole on display in a gallery space to Sean and my class-mates. Might work well i reckon. See how i go..


Anyway, here is what i have ended up with now from the 570+ photographs i have taken so far for this assessment task.






D.

Artist's Statement (re-visited)

Simple-y living different-ly. 

_

This collection of images is aimed at depicting how uplifting my life has become now that i am finally living in the beautiful city of Canberra, pursuing my one true passion in life.

For most of my adult life, i have been to anxious to break free from that which i knew, trusted and possessed in order to feel at peace with the world. Now that i live in a completely new environment, with minimal belongings allows me the freedom to follow my dreams and truly express my inner desire to become a photographer.

The fact that i am only doing this now that i am 30 is irrelevant to me, the fact that i am doing it is what fills my life with an indescribable sense of enthusiasm each and every day. Even if i only have my shadow to share the buzz.

Even the 3º mornings in the middle of summer, working night-shifts, living with a cat or 5 floors up in an apartment with a decommissioned lift and neighbours closer to me than i could piss doesn't really upset my enthusiasm. In actual fact, rather than let it spoil my mood, i see it all as photographic opportunities to help inspire my work. Hence this exhibition.

In addition to my minimalist way of life, I chose to use what i saw as a simple camera - my iPhone 4s. This has allowed me to just enjoy capturing wonderful elements of my new environment without getting caught up in the complexity of technical adjustments and perfection my more advanced DSLR often demands.

May this collection of photographs help remind you, the viewer, to appreciate all that you have and not to over-look all the wonderful things in your life - because i bet they're likely to be all the simple things.

D.

Editing..

It has begun..


Surprisingly i don't have scissor-hand cramps after all that cutting out :)


On a serious note though, i have separated my selection of photographs into relative groups/themes for now and will begin to single-out those that suit my artists statement - which itself needs editing and refinement.

Speaking of my artists statement, the following list is simply a way for me to refer back to what lead me to make this series of photographs in the first place.

I feel making a list of things like this and referring back to it during the editing process, will help me select a collection of images (from the 200+ thumbnail print outs i have sitting on my lounge room floor at the moment) that best suits my theme different living = living differently

• life without my beloved dog.
• living so far away from family / friends and not being able to join with them in celebration. the colours of Autumn / leaves everywhere are new to me, but i like it.
• thick fog and cold mornings remind me that i'm alive.
• i like that i can now enjoy the sun's warmth instead of run from its fury like in QLD.
• not having a yard is so weird.
• how uninterested i am in politics even when Canberra is the heart of it all.
• tiled roofs with chimneys instead of a tin roof and breeze-airs.
• living in a town-house / inner-city apartment.
• all the interesting things about having a multi-cultural neighbourhood.
• the nice balance Canberra has of feeling like a small city and big country town.
• and how the fact that i have minimised my belongings (distractions) has allowed me to lose myself in photography (my true passion in life) leaving me more fulfilled than ever.

Anyway, here is a handful of work-in-progress photographs.




D.

added 10/4/2012 by Sean.

added 10/4/2012 by Sean.

making a start on the final editing process 10/4/2012.

added 13/4/2012

added 13/4/2012

added 13/4/2012

I found it interesting that whilst sorting through all 200+ thumbnails today i was drawn back to favouring my original set of images (the larger images in the final set) and felt i could simply add a few of the more powerful images from my recent efforts to complete my theme.

Like Sean said, it often pays to put them aside and re-visit/look at them again down the track. I feel this is relevant here, because i just went out and "took" the first lot during one of my afternoon walks, whereas most of my recent work i have "looked". It is also interesting to refer back to the different mindsets i was in during each environment.

Even the fact i captured the town-house image with the numbers 57, 58 and 59 written on it is so coincidental considering i now live in number 58 in the inner-city apartment complex. Life sure is a weird and wonderful thing :)

Artist's Statement (draft).

3/4/2012
(week 8)


Conceptual theme: 
Living differently.
(or something along those lines)


Two years ago i came through our nation's capital (Canberra) towards the end of a 101-day solo voyage i embarked upon, through eastern parts of this great country of ours (Australia) and simply was in awe of the place. Vowing i would return.


A lot of people would reply with comments like "why the hell would you want to live in Canberra" or "you'll never move there, it's too cold" when i told them my plans for the future. I however see Canberra as a well-balanced, well-established, switched-on, multicultural, big country town - if that makes sense. A place with the status of a city, but without the chaos.


Moving to Canberra has been a wonderful experience for me. It just feels right to be here and to be doing photography. My senses are alive within my new environment and i plan to embrace all that it has to offer as best i can.


I have always grown up with a backyard, a verandah  and a tin roof, which sizzles under the extremes of Queensland's heat. Since moving to Canberra i have adjusted to the confines of cement, having next to no yard, a tiled roof that doesn't allow you to sit back and listen to the rain striking it with the force an afternoon storm brings and having a neighbour closer than i could piss! The colours of autumn are a welcome change too, and help bring a romantic feel to the landscape. That sneaky cool breeze on the back of my neck in the middle of summer also reminds me that i'm alive.


I can recall many occasions back home in Queensland where i have said "you'd never find me living in an inner-city apartment". How things change.. and as much as i used to cringe at the thought, it hasn't seemed to bother me one bit, i actually find the experience quite fascinating. At times it also makes me think i'm living in another country, but this is part of the fascination for me, because i am yet to leave Australia and i can try gain an insight into the ways in which we all go about our lives in our own unique way. Perhaps my inner aussie-bogan is finally fading away to just a distant memory.


In all honesty though, the humble side of me still yearns to find a balance of nature and solitude amongst the pace of modern day society in order to refresh and re-focus on what i'm doing. So as long as i have a nice mix of the two i will remain happy.


The collection of images i plan to exhibit this is being developed and will contain photographs of all the things i admire about my new home and that even though i'm leading a simple life i still feel very fulfilled thanks to photography - MORE ARE LIKELY TO BE ADDED.






D.