Self Portraits in the Autumn of Life: A Meditation
As a stone sculptor, I see form and line whenever I look out at the world. This vision also informs my photographic images.
I have a fascination with photographing things in a state of deterioration and decay – dying plants, peeling bark, rusted farm implements. Most of my previous photographic work has documented close observation of such things in images that emphasize form and line and tend toward the abstract.
When given a class assignment to make self portraits, my body became yet another deteriorating object to document. I became obsessed with seeing my body as a form in space, particularly a space that conveyed the nostalgic feeling of life past its prime.
I was inspired by a stanza in William Wordsworth’s poem, Intimations of Immortality, which says that, although the radiance and glory are now gone, “We will grieve not, rather find strength in what remains behind.”
The self portraits in this portfolio show my aging body juxtaposed against a background of autumn leaves and bare trees - this is the autumn of my life. Many of the photographs are leavened by humor – at this stage of my life, where would I be without a sense of humor?
