The American Photorealists
As a device to remove some of my own feelings and views I have found that the use of found and secondary images and video footage very successful. The method of working from photographs is my preferred one for sheer practicality, but it can also be used to maintain some coolness and distance from the subject matter. Working from photographs as a realist painter led me to study and research the early American photorealists, how they worked and why they worked in this way. Theirs was a deadpan style with little flourish and expression, working in meticulous detail and staying faithful to the photographic source. This lack of expression allowed the subject matter to take centre stage and practically all the photorealists returned to their chosen subject matter time and time again.
By similarly creating a body of work united by a single theme I hope to focus the viewer’s attention on the issue depicted. I am not working in a photorealist style, but in common with the American photorealists I do not want to comment strongly on my subject matter, therefore allowing the viewer time and space to find their own thoughts and feelings about the people depicted. I do not wish to dictate what the viewer should feel, only present an issue for them to think more carefully about.
