Since the early stages of my creative development, I have wanted to pursue portraiture. It holds its own special allure, a dynamism that mimics and challenges realism. I love the vitality a blind drawing can possess, the linear energy of a quick sketch and the dramatic significance of an abstract painting.
I have also always had an inclination to visit galleries, to write or immerse myself in a beautifully constructed play or film. Photography, in particular, stood out as a potent language capable of framing the world around us. Still, my initial photographic pieces were incohesive without context. It was through interviewing artists like the innovative and sensitive Sarah Fishburn, a practitioner with an admiration for collage (the gorgeously eclectic blend of digital art manipulations and mixed-media), and spending time in Paris, Malaga and eventually Amsterdam, cities with a matchless reverence for arts and culture, that I was able to progress in my new art practice. I was moved to pursue abstract and minimalist (inspiration sought from the modern Polka Galerie), nature (in respect of the artful impressionist works in Musee Orangerie and D'Orsay) and portrait photography (inspired by the “magic, contradiction, and ambiguity” of Martin Parr’s photo collections).
As a whole, I have been able to develop my innovative practice in photography while learning new skills that have enhanced my capabilities as an aspiring artist. In my experience of many photography forms and techniques, I have been moved to experiment. I value new underrated art practices and have extended my portfolio to digital art and mixed media pieces. Although I was primarily a visual portraitist, my volunteering and leadership experience have given me the skills and openness to appreciate and explore many art forms.
Please let me know what you think of my final pieces below or visit my Tumblr blog and Pinterest page for inspiration.
What a great set of photos Joanna! I love the way the photoblog starts out linking into a holiday scene then gradually becomes more and more abstract! You have a real feel for colour and texture.