Life is a brilliant journey, especially if you are a photographer! Every moment is in sharp focus, with every detail of the canvas in front of you captured. But does sharp focus necessarily bring you emotional 'fulfillment' or capture the mood of the moment? My self-realization is that it doesn't. I am transforming to unlearn my old habits and use a new lens with new thoughts and techniques, to become a better person both personally and artistically.
As an artist, more than any other profession, my personal and professional journeys are intertwined. My life experiences and professional work have given me accumulated knowledge and all my images etched in my mind.
In my 30 year journey as a professional photographer, I have captured sharp and clear industrial products, architecture, and construction sites in all their technical glory and perfect detail. My passion for traveling around the world, photographing people, places, and cultures in different countries gave me another avenue for my artistic expression with showcases in various art galleries. It is gratifying to be told that my art has a "National Geographic Quality".
Painting has been another form of artistic expression for me throughout my life. As I reflect on these paintings, in all their glorious detail, I realized my art was unidimensional, because, while accurate, the many details make them photo-realistic. For me, they didn't actually evoke an emotional response I was looking for. I was shocked and depressed. It was time to accelerate my journey of self-analysis. The "Aha" moment arrived! I realized that detail in any art form is not important but to capture the essence of the subject and the moment is paramount to elicit an emotional response from the viewer, I had to change my photographer's eye for detail, to my emotional artist's eye for feeling, to paint the moment, and capture the essence in a way that satisfies my artistic desires and most importantly, draws in the audience. This has transformed the way I photograph and paint today. I try to abstract shapes, color, texture, and light to deliver that feeling and capture the emotion like a painting.
I am now deconstructing some of my old photographs into an abstract form.
It is a long and winding path to reach my goal! But I am excited and at peace with my work.