I entered a photo contest and this happened...
/This Project just keeps giving and giving. I entered four of my Primal He{Art} series images in a wee contest and received an Honourable Mention.
Primal He{Art}
/The Primal He{Art} series was inspired from a photo project I was invited to participate in based out of Toronto called the 10x10 Photography Project. The ten year Project is in its third year and each year invites ten photographers to create ten portraits of individuals who have contributed to the LGBTQ arts in Canada. Those 100 portraits were showcased at a Gallery in Toronto in June and also published in a gorgeous photo book. I was also fortunate to have the Project accepted into Vancouver's Queer Arts Festival Curated Show in August.
My series honoured ten Vancouver artists and the primal heart connection they feel to their artistic expression. I invited my ten subjects to choose words that described what their artistic expression evoked for them. Those deeply intimate words were then spray painted onto their bodies by artist Carole Lagimodiere, and they were then photographed semi nude. I have experienced firsthand the vulnerability of sharing one’s art with the world and I felt that having them pose in the nude would help to illustrate that vulnerability. I also love how light and shadow can create texture, form and beauty when photographing the human body.
I endeavored to create an atmosphere of collaboration with my artists with poses and lighting that would suit their personalities and to some extent their gender expression. I took the duty that the 10x10 Project bestowed upon me very seriously as I wanted to honour these individuals by creating compelling and beautiful images for them. A lot of folks helped with this Project and I’m extremely proud of what we have all created together.
My He{Art} work debuts
/Conceptualized it, planned it, photographed it, retouched it, printed it, framed it, mounted it.
Matting and framing my work for the Queer Arts Festival!!
On the walls and ready to go!!
Being in the same show as Joe Average was mind warping for me. Especially when he walked in and looked at my work on the wall.
Noam Gagnon, my future husband.
Two of my artists...Mandy Randhawa and Eileen Kage.
Zoee Nuage, a photographer I admire and have now photographed.
It was fun to watch people's reactions to the images.
Mandy Randhawa in front of the beautiful image of her we created together.
David Robinson poses with his powerful image we collaborated on and created together.
A touching moment for me when my lighting instructor from photography school came to the opening to congratulate me.
Amber Dawn and I goofing it up in front of her stunning image.