STATEMENT

I am always searching among my collection of orphaned photobooth photographs for the man with averted eyes or the woman whose empty stare appears indifferent to communication beyond the lens. These un-self conscious expressions are emblems of the genuine self-portrait and the inspiration for my series Biographical Annotation and Pilgrim Lake Library Committee. This exploration of the paradox of the unobserved observer in the photobooth is a continuation of my investigation of portraits of strangers. This examination is motivated by a wish to reclaim these lost and forgotten souls by re-imagining their biographies.

The images I choose for these encaustic* and mixed media portraits are selected individually and then again in response to each other. This curatorial process is somewhat circular as the photos are chosen, discarded and chosen again until an affinity develops among them. These tiny self-portraits are on my worktable for months until one day their juxtaposition, a swatch of paint, or a sketch calls for further development. I then manipulate and enlarge the image to allow for more intimacy between the viewer and the work. In this large format I can fabricate a memoir by weaving abstract, encaustic paintings and mixed media elements with the photobooth photos. Many layers of encaustic paint create a visual depth that is unique to the medium.