Production Discussion with Louise Lewis

(Above is a portrait of a homeless "Dancer" at a public music event.)

Louise Lewis is a faculty and curator of CSUN Art Gallery. She asked a interesting question when she saw some of my work and blog entries. Below is the question and subsequent reply:

>Does working on these images become
>more objective as they are
>completed, or do you maintain the
>potency of the emotion beyond the
>darkroom? (dumb question, but am
>struck by your directness and clarity
>in describing what you are doing).

Actually, I like the question. (Funny, I don't particularly like talking about my work, but I seem to like writing about it... Strange... I have to figure out why...?) I hope I'm reading the question correctly, but here's the answer: I think while working on the images (digitally compositing them, then gluing them) the work makes the process objective, less personal. But then I'm almost always surprised how the emotion comes back so strongly once the final piece comes together and is standing upright in my living room to dry.

Now to think of it, there seems to be three emotional stages to my work with each subject. The getting-to-know-the-subject part, which I feel is a very "social" interaction. Then, taking the photo is also part of that social interaction. Then the compositing and gluing part is mostly technical, imbued with little or no emotion. At this stage I'm thinking about tonal values, roughness of finish, surface treatment, etc. Then, finally, when the entire piece is done and I'm finished with the work... and the person's image is there staring back at me quietly, I feel the most emotional connection with the person. It is, as if in the silence of me looking at his image, and the silence of his image looking at me, we're connecting at a deeper "soul" level then even in person. This is really the time when I "integrate" my entire experience with the subject into my being, and then beyond even.

... When is it socially acceptable to look eye-to-eye with someone for such a sustained duration? Never. Looking at these portraits seem to allow that interaction--albeit not with the real person. This viewing interaction with his/her image really does have a visceral effect on me (and I hope on the viewers as well).

For the blog, I tend to focus on the technical points (is this the directness and clarity you sense?) mostly because I wonder if I might be betraying the subject by publishing my personal take on him/her? I know emotionally we can never be objective and non-judgmental, so I have avoided that area in the most part.

Lee