Larry Fink

Larry Fink has been an influential artist in my work.

One of my favorite series of his, I his "mingle" series. The series takes place at a event. People are dressed in suits and nice dresses which lends the ideas that it is an important occasion. The photographs are of candid moments of people mingling with each other. What makes his work stand apart form just candid shots of a party. Is his ability to capture almost cinematic moments of genuine interactions between human beings. The prints are absolutely beautiful, with each one being able to portray moments that give the viewer such a sense of emotions that you feel at that place at that moment.

The ability to capture genuine moments so beautifully Is what I hope to do with my work. Being able to capture people at their truest sense.

Philip-Lorca diCorcia

Philip-Lorca diCorcia is an artist that as soon as I came upon his work I was immediately drawn to it. I was recommended this artist based on a series I was currently working on that dealt with trying to capture people in their natural setting and then asking for a photograph to compare the drastic change in personality that is captured between the two settings.

The photograph above is from the 2000 series Heads. Philip-Lorca diCorcia shot his series by attaching a strobe light to scaffolding on a subway and by setting up a hidden camera. The resulting photographs are truly amazing, he was able to capture the subjects personality is such a beautiful manner. The ability to capture people at their upmost natural setting is what I enjoyed the most about these photos.

Elad Lassry

This is a photograph from Elad Lassry. It is a photograph in a painted frame. I believe he describes this series perfectly when he states that he makes sculptures, "that happen to be photographs." This exact quote was what to me made this artist so interesting. 

His quote sparked the question whether a two dimensional photograph could transcend the "traditional" boundaries that hold it in place. Could a photograph really be the sculpture rather than just a documentation of the sculpture that was made at a different time. 

He elaborates how his goal is for the photograph to become a presence. He states he accomplishes this because this work is both a display of an image and a shelf. There exist a relationship with the objects holding themselves up with the table that they sit on holding the items up as well, also with the photograph documenting this and the frame holding the physical photograph in place, to the wall or shelf holding the finished piece. It is very interesting work that defies what objects can be.

Banksy

                                    

An artist that changed my perspective on what "fine art" is has been Banksy. I was drawn to his artwork because it closely relates to what my personal art is about. It was a long journey to finally define my identity as a fine artist. It was about finally stopping trying to be like everyone else and accepting what drove me in life, which was social change.

Banksy took an underground art form and was able to make it acceptable and mainstream. He broke barriers of illegal activities being seen as something that should be appreciated. His ability to simplify very complicated and controversial concepts, I believe has made his artwork so successful.

The picture above shows a series of pieces that Banksy did on a wall that was built by Israel to separate itself from Palestine. It is incredible how insightful his images are, they demonstrate tension that has been created by the being built. Most importantly, it arises and sparks much needed discussion for not only the wall but many issues going on in our world today.

This weekend I was lucky enough to take a trip to Los Angeles. While I was there I got the chance to visit LACMA. One of my favorite pieces that was there was Levitated Mass by Michael Heizer. The art piece is composed of a 340-ton megalith, suspended in the air and you are able to walk underneath it. 

Actually seeing the piece was a completely different experience than seeing through a photograph or the internet. My initial perception was that it was smaller that I had anticipated. This thought was quickly diminished as soon as I was able to walk underneath it. Its very difficult to put into perspective how heavy 340 tons actually is. It creates an almost feeling of intimidation being underneath, next to, an object of such grand scale. When thoughts of other civilizations of past times came to me, it was unfathomable how there were able to create works like Stonehendge or machu pichu. Levitated Mass illustrated the connection between our past and present relationship in the way we interact with the earth and permanent "scarring " we leave behind.

 Heizer also had another exhibition of a series of photographs. The photographs were projected onto large walls and were scaled to real life. He carefully documented size and was able to create an experience that transported the viewer to the location in which the photo was taken. His choice of life-sized scale added to Levitated Mass by commenting on our role in changing our surroundings. 

  AN ARTIST THAT HAS INSPIRED MY WORK A GREAT DEAL HAS BEEN GREGORY CREWDSON. THIS PHOTOGRAPH IS BY FAR THE MOST I HAVE GRAVITATED TOWARDS. THE MANNER IN WHICH LIGHTING WAS USED TO ILLUMINATE NOT JUST THE MAIN SUBJECT, BUT SUBTLE DETAILS ALL THROUGH OUT THE BACKGROUND IS AMAZING. THE CROSSING OF TELEPHONE WIRES AND THE SPOTLIGHT CREATES VERY INTERESTING ANGLES THAT ALLOW FOR YOUR EYES TO TRAVEL ALL THROUGH OUT THE IMAGE. THE BEAUTIFUL RICHNESS IS COLOR, ESPECIALLY THE BLUES AND GREENS, THAT HE IS ABLE TO ATTAIN WITH AN 8X10 CAMERA ADDS WHAT I BELIEVE SETS APART HIS WORK.

GREGORY CREWSON GRADUATED WITH A B.A. FROM THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK. HE ALSO RECEIVED HIS MFA FROM YALE IN 1988. HIS MOST CURRENT BODY OF WORK IS CALLED, SANCTUARY, AND PREMIERED AT GAGOSIAN GALLERY IN NEW YORK IN 2010. HE CURRENTLY WORKS AS PROFESSOR OF GRADUATE PHOTOGRAPHY AT YALE UNIVERSITY.

WHAT INFLUENCES ME IN MY WORK ARE DEFINITELY HIS ATTENTION TO DETAIL. EVERY SINGLE ITEM IN HIS PHOTOGRAPHS ARE SET WITH A PURPOSE. LIKE CREWDSON I PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO DETAIL AND LIGHTING. I BELIEVE NOTHING ADDS MORE TO A PHOTOGRAPH THAN SUBTLE DETAILS.