Ways of seeing

Hello wolf shadow friends! I would like to share with you the images from my first solo exhibition as an artist, Ways of Seeing: Animal, Urban, Land. I have been in many group shows before, but this was my first outing going it alone, and it was courtesy of winning the 2013 Photonet Gallery Open Prize for Photography. The first prize is a solo show in the main gallery, and I had been trying to win this prize for 3 years! Third time lucky! 😀 I know you are familiar with my work with WolfCub and other animals, but many of you may not know that I pursue other subjects with equal passion. It was a pretty anxious process leading up to the show, until a very good friend of mine said to ‘be myself’ and reminded me how far I have come over the last few years. Her wise words helped to settle me and I was then able to enjoy the process. If I had one moment of sadness, it was that my mum was not standing by my side to share in the moment with me: I lost her to cancer 17 years ago when I was quite young.

I have included my artist statement here, to give you a little context about this series of images and I hope you find something that touches you, makes you smile or causes you to think!

“Ways of Seeing” focuses on heroic, dark, colourful, and at times comic visions, using the contexts of animal, urban and land, to explore my own inner worlds. A central focus has been my dog WolfCub – the images constructed of him illustrate the light and shadow of my own life. Many of the images use textures or film grain to evoke a time passed or to enhance mood. Through this visual journey and especially the soulful and liberating connection with my dog, I have gained insight into past trauma and discovered, at last, my place in the world.

The Crossing

Belgian-Shepherd-overlooking-river