Here is my latest artist statement effort, a combination of past stuff and a bit of editing to simplify. I hate writing these things, but by forcing myself to go through the process it might be helping me focus on exactly what I am trying to do. Maybe these statements have some value after all, if they help me make more focused complete photographs then they are well worth the effort.
Artist Statement.
Series: The Peoples Project, Thailand/Cambodia 2010
The “Peoples Project” is a new series of photographs I have recently started to work on. The hope is to do hundreds of portraits on both sides of the Thailand-Cambodia border. The Khmer (Cambodian) and Thai peoples have a long history of animosity and violence. I want to show the common traits the people of these two countries share, and by extension show how all human beings are connected.
I was lucky enough to have the first photograph from this series “Young Monk, Chiang Khong Thailand” purchased by the Alberta Government through their Arts by Acquisition program, it was added to their permanent collection. The boy novice monk in the photograph is following a tradition most Thai boys undergo. A Thai male usually becomes a Buddhist monk at least one time in his life. He might only be a monk for a short period of time or it might last several years, either way it is an important foundation for his future life and something his family will be very proud of.
In my portraiture I try to show the commonality in all of us, how we as human beings have a common connected humanity no matter our race, religion or culture.
My influences include the great documentary/concerned photographers W. Eugene Smith, Donald McCullin and Sebastiao Salgado.
I work only with film cameras and process all the film and prints myself in a traditional wet darkroom.
