I am a Fine Art Photographer using old or toy cameras to produce black and white images digitally. That may mean I’m a hybrid, using old methods to take the photograph and then printing the work using modern technology, but it is the look and feel that I am after.
Artist Statement:
Jean graduated from Dickinson College in May of 2005 with a degree in Art and Art History. She has always had a passion for photography, picking up her fathers camera at 12, continuing that first exposure and developing that interest into an enthusiasm for the black and white processes. Other interests include pottery and clay sculpture.
In her photography she tries to capture a sense of loss from the past history that still inhabits buildings, structures or places and to evoke an emotive response from the viewer striving for these unseen histories to provide a new atmosphere for contemplation and reflection.
Jean lives in historic Carlisle with her husband, 3 children, and an adorable grandson.
The Process:
Most of my work today is produced using a digital work flow. Moving into the digital realm has made me a student again, learning how to get my feelings expressed into a photograph using a computer. Visually, I prefer the effect of the black and white photograph because of the minimal distraction it provides, the emphasis on light, the simplicity of the images and the focus on line and form, but then again there is a lot of great color out there in this world, so you will see some photographs in color. With these ideas in mind, I try not to make ‘pretty’ photographs because quite frankly anyone can do that, but to make a composition that goes deeper to make you think, ponder and question, to explore what we have lost, gained or didn’t need. To connect with a photograph or any piece of artwork for that matter, it must resonate with experiences, events and emotions that are unique to you, the viewer, and I hope that my work can, in some small way, accomplish that.
