The Benefits of Unfamiliar Territory by Sarah Hood Salomon
Paper and Ink
I find that my most productive time is when I’m alone and creative ideas take me in unexpected directions. However, there are also times when I find myself questioning the validity of a new idea, or wondering whether a photo supports or weakens a project as a whole. Working by yourself can be like trying to breathe in a vacuum so reaching out for feedback is invaluable.
Going to galleries and museums is a great source of new ideas, but for me, taking advanced photo classes has been the most valuable way to regain inspiration and stay motivated.
A talented teacher not only encourages your work but can help discover areas that need improvement. Assignments and deadlines create motivation and being in a group of photographers grappling with their own issues provides a network of support.
For example, I began working on my MFA at the beginning of the Covid Epidemic. The faculty at Maine Media College encouraged me, but they also pushed me to try new approaches. My work took unexpected turns and I sometimes landed in completely unfamiliar territory.
My computer was dying and the pandemic meant that replacements were hard to get. My black and white prints were coming out a horrible shade of magenta, and I got so frustrated that I grabbed a piece of sandpaper and scraped all the ink off a print. Looking at the ghost image that remained on the paper, I suddenly saw new potentials. I carefully swept up the photographic dust and a faculty member suggested I suspend it in epoxy resin. I had never worked with resin, and certainly hadn’t questioned the dimensionality of a photograph, so there was a huge learning curve.
I had numerous failures, but they only seemed to open up more possibilities. I pushed the idea of making photographic sculptures, and began slicing my photographs on a paper cutter and shaping the print itself into a 3-D form. I proceeded to puree multiple photographs in a blender, reducing them to pulp. (Yes, I had to get a new blender.) I had separated the ink from the paper and now was able to reassemble the ink dust and paper pulp in a sculptural form. These actions questioned the physical nature of a photograph as well as the meaning of the disassembled pieces.
The subjects in the photographs were trees that had been taken down for development. By disassembling the photographs, the original images are unrecognizable and can’t be reconstructed, just as landscapes altered by humans can’t be reassembled.
It can be uncomfortable to work without a precedent, but uncertainty welcomes mistakes and forces onesbrain to question the original expectations. Mistakes turn into possibilities, and it is thrilling to discover a new approach. I continue to seek out challenges through workshops and classes, and encourage all artists to incorporate learning and exploration into their practice. I also suggest joining or forming a critique group or cooperative gallery such as Multiple Exposures Gallery as a source of meaningful dialogue. Nature abhors a vacuum, and so does art.
Know more about Sarah Hood Salomon’s Sculptural photo.