Photography Atelier

Matthew R. Kaufman

Shimmering

How could I cope with a shifting landscape due to life-altering loss? My bearings became wobbly, vision uncertain, and my comprehension of events and feelings, indistinct.  Reality was too gruesome to bear. It was impossible to focus my mind and body in any direction, with conviction, and with consistency. My pace of healing was irregular, oscillating up and down, halting in an abyss with no obvious impetus for change or interest in the future. 

Marl Pond, a tiny, coastal land bank property in Chilmark on Martha’s Vineyard is a stunning location, with pronounced seasonal variations typical of New England weather. In the midst of my continuous struggle with grief and reorienting myself for an uncertain future  bereft of anchors, I found myself on Martha’s Vineyard sequestering from the Covid-19 virus. Marl Pond became my refuge. 

Within the shimmering  waters, trees and lighting, the indistinctness  and impermanence of nature’s images echoed the unsteadiness of finding my balance in a distorted landscape. The visions are constantly in flux, a sobering reminder that nothing in life or in the natural world is permanent. An image taken one second may not be able to be replicated ever again, a key attribute in nature as well as in life. 

Preservation of the beautiful memory culminates in cherishing what has been and what will come. 

Artist Bio

Matt devoted his career to the practice of Hematology and Oncology. Both Matt and his wife fell in love with Martha’s Vineyard due to its natural beauty.

Unfortunately, both Matt and his wife Marcia, sequentially, developed serious, debilitating illnesses.  Ultimately, Matt recovered; unfortunately, Marcia succumbed several years ago.

Uncertain about how to recoup emotionally and re-build his life, Matt started to travel and, in doing so, spent about 18 months in Africa, Asia, and South America. During that period, he focused on photography, which had always been a source of enjoyment for him. Most of his early efforts focused on the natural world. He had previously shared the beauty of his photos of the natural world with his patients by exhibiting selected images in his medical office.

Matt has studied at the Griffin Museum Atelier Program, the New England School of Photography as well as traveled with the Nature Workshop as part of some of his travels. He participated in a juried competition from the Nature Workshop, taking home first prize in 2018. His focus is on street photography, landscapes, and, particularly, nature photography.

Contact Matthew R. Kaufman