Over the Shoulder Print

Imagery which challenges creative boundaries and stimulates the imagination has always been at the forefront of my abstract photography. Exploring more unconventional methods of interpretation and presentation, I take familiar, everyday items found around my home and transform them from the ordinary into the extraordinary; this is my ‘Abstracted Reality’. Right from the outset, my photographic vision has been to look at objects with fresh eyes and a new perspective. For me, photography is not so much about artistically recording what is there, but creating something new and different out of what exists already. I want to give new life to a subject, to alter and challenge the viewer’s perspective and to invite a sense of mystery, wonder and intrigue. To achieve this, I made the conscious decision not to heavily manipulate or artificially create my photographs. Having to rely on my own imagination and creativity was invigorating, and through this process, I came to realise how highly I value the truthfulness and authenticity of a photographic image. I don’t want to manufacture my pictures in the computer. Paradoxically, I want my ‘unreal’ abstracts to be as ‘real’ and authentic as possible. The use of colour, bold shapes and patterns, and strong, simple graphic design elements feature strongly in my work. I tend to use colour as a means of highlighting and dramatising shape and form so that each image has a unique signature and presence, managing to blend the mysterious with a hint of the familiar which can’t quite be grasped.