“Click.” Photo. Now what?
What is a photo for?
What is a work of art for?
Are they the same? How do they differ? If the photo is a part of a larger work of art, how do all the meanings and the parts go together?
I spent an evening last week reading a newly published book about using photography in textile artwork: Photo Memory Quilts by Lesley Riley. It’s a very good resource, packed full of information and ideas; I was happy to have one of my art quilts featured in it. (How to order the book at the end of this blog post.)
Here is my quilt featured in Lesley Riley’s book: “Looking below the Surface”
If you lived in the era of film and darkrooms, you remember: lots of things could go wrong and there was a lot to learn.
Now, in the age of digital photos, there are still lots of things that can go wrong and there is a lot to learn.
So, for artmakers who are interested in the nitty gritty of software programs, sizing images, manipulating images and then getting them on fabric, books like Lesley’s are a great resource.
But, as I write this evening, I am thinking about broader issues.
Why put a photographic image in a piece of textile artwork to begin with? And, if you are an art-appreciator and patron but not a maker, when you see a photo in a piece of textile artwork, how should you interpret it?
I’ve been thinking about this. I think photos can work in two ways.
FIRST: The photo and the artwork have the same purpose.
(In this work, the photo depicts reflections. Reflections, and how they depict reality, are also what the work is about. “Discerning What is Real.”)
Imagine you have a photo of your grandmother. Or maybe two – one a formal pose in a frame and one a candid image showing her character. The purpose of the photos is to depict grandma. If your quilt has the same purpose, it might develop in several ways.
It might have a commemorative quality. Much like a paper scrapbook page, we might expect to see the grandma photos on a background, possibly with some embellishments or artifacts relevant to her, and decorative elements. Alternately, Grandma might be reproduced digitally on a big piece of yardage. The whole picture plane is filled with grandma. In either case, the photo is about grandma and the quilt is about grandma.
Works like this are likely to be personally meaningful. Crafted well, they can also be interesting and artful.
SECOND: The photo and the artwork each have a different purpose.
Consider, again, the photos of grandma. Your artwork might be about something other than grandma specifically: women’s rights, roles of women in different cultures, body image, your personal family memories, your understanding of your own identity. In this case, including Grandma in the artwork can contribute to the whole meaning, but the work is not specifically about her. And there will be other elements in the work too. You’ll need to figure out how to make them work together.
More examples:
I’ve made a number of quilts that are not about water, but which include photos of water.The photo images of water contribute to the whole.
“Finding the Way Through.” This background includes photos of water. But the subject of the work is not water. It’s about the complexity of the journey.
“Float Away in Dreams.” This background also includes photos of water. But the subject of the work is not water. It’s about memories and dreams.
I’ve made a number of quilts that are not about windows but which include photos of windows. The photo images of windows contribute to the whole.
“Overgrown Conversation.” This background includes prominent photos of windows. But the subject of the work is not windows. It’s about communication and its relation to memories.
“Morning in the Burned House” This background includes a photo of a window. But the subject of the work is not windows. Inspired by a poem by Margaret Atwood, It’s about remembering what has been lost.
To me, this is especially interesting.
I like the way photos (which are perceived as “real”) work side-by-side with other non-photographic elements.
Like any visual element, photos can be a great part of your artmaking toolbox. Think through how you want them to function in the work and what you hope they will mean.
. . . . .
Here is more about Lesley Riley’s book. It’s available on Amazon. I found it to be informative, thorough, and filled with ideas.
Photo Memory Quilts on Amazon HERE
For all the artmakers: Happy creating
For all the art lovers: Happy appreciating
Thank you for reading. I always enjoy questions and comments.
--Bobbi
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