Harrison 2011

In my collection of works, I hope to accentuate how a photograph, a snapshot of a brief moment, can reveal so much about the culture and people that the picture depicts. This is a collection of over painted photographs and painting of photographs. The true beauty in life, as I see it, lie in the most commonplace, humdrum events or faces; something as simple as the expression on a boy’s face, or the items someone is surrounded by can expose pivotal aspects of his life. This series also shines a light on how an ordinary portrait has the capacity to reveal extraordinary details of the life which it delineates.

This series is composed of pictures I took a few summers ago on a community service expedition to Tanzania, and pictures in different areas of Ecuador, including the Galapagos and Otavalo. The pictures taken in Ecuador are not what one would traditionally expect, considering the nation’s remarkable geographic beauty. The pictures depict scenes intended to be unremarkable because of their seeming meaninglessness. In Africa, I came to the eye-awakening realization of the lives most people in Africa live, and because of this, the photographs taken on this trip are very much relevant to the person I am today.

The use of color is essential. Each color is intended to portray a particular emotion, or even a substance which I relate to the experience each photograph intends to depict. The random objects attached to the photographs, in some cases yarn or coins. The objects symbolize parts of life which are seemingly inevitable and endlessly redundant in the lives of the people the photographs depict.

'Mama Loves Her Baby' Mixed Media with Photograph

'I Can't See You' Mixed Media with Photograph

'Watermelon Child' Mixed Media with Photograph

'The Dinner is on the Counter Dear' Oil Paint on Photograph

'Made in Ecuador' Oil Paint on Photograph

'They Promised Us Jetpacks' Oil Paint on Photograph

'Where Shall the Fog Take Us' Mixed Media on Photograph