Roxanne Worthington Artist Statement
I got hooked on photography—fine art photography— the first night I spent in the darkroom, printing my first roll of black and white film. It was like falling down a rabbit hole. I was in Wonderland. I fell in love with photography and ‘never looked back’.
While I have worked in a lot of different photographic mediums and with many different cameras, creating several bodies of work along the way, there is a thread that runs through almost all my work. Each body is made up of images that are personal expressions of what I see as universal themes. I hope that as you look at my work you can see these themes for yourself and accompany me on my journey down the rabbit hole.
To find out more about each body of work and what inspired it please read the artist statement that describes that work.
Passing Through
As we go from place to place in our busy lives we often move through spaces without noticing where we are or who is around us. Sometimes we are propelled forward on our journey as if on autopilot with thoughts of the future or remembrances of the past occupying our mind. Sometimes we are burdened with emotions so overpowering that what is happening in the present moment seems of little consequence. The people we encounter are dark fuzzy shapes. Our world is out of focus.
I started this body of work in 2005 while I was traveling from California to the Midwest. I was on a journey to see my mother for the last time. As I traveled across the country, my only thoughts were “my mother is dying”. On the long walk between terminals at O’Hare Airport, I noticed that I hadn’t paid attention to anyone (not even the man I sat next to for 4 hours on the plane—he was just a shape, a form). I pulled out my camera in the garishly lit underground and shot the first of the images for the portfolio that was later to become “Passing Through”.
Months later when I reviewed the work, I thought about the fact that my experience that day was similar to the experience of place that many of us have on a regular basis (described in the first paragraph.) As I shot subsequent images I thought about how we often see, or really don’t see people, particularly strangers, as we move through public spaces. We know they are around. We see their shapes and their shadows but we don't really see them. We're just passing through on our way from one place to another.
The images for this portfolio were taken primarily in large urban spaces. Some of them were shot in airports, some in museums, some on city streets and some in transit stations. I shot anywhere I could imagine experiencing the same kind of preoccupation I felt that day in 2005.
There are more than 20 final images in the series. After an intense period of concentrating on work for this portfolio I moved on to other projects, but I am inspired to go out and shoot more images for this series at least a few times a year. I plan to continue working on it until I feel that is has ‘run dry’.
The photographs are printed with archival pigment inks on acid free paper. The work is displayed in three different sizes: 14"x 22", 20"x 30" and 30”x 45” and sold in limited editions of 35, 25, and 10, respectively. The images are dry mounted on archival foam core or gatorboard and framed edge to edge in thin black metal shadowbox frames and acrylic.
Breath
This series called Breath is about looking. Many of the images in this body of work are photograms, made without a camera or a negative. To make these images the flower is placed directly under the enlarger light. As light shines through the flower the image is captured on photographic paper. The flower ‘dies’ and whatever images are made that day are all that’s left of that particular life.
These images are a special way of looking. They ask one to see the flower in an intimate way. Looking closely, one sees aspects that are unseen until the bloom is crushed between two pieces of glass.
This series called Breath is about looking. Many of the images in this body of work are photograms, made without a camera or a negative. To make these images the flower is placed directly under the enlarger light. As light shines through the flower the image is captured on photographic paper. The flower ‘dies’ and whatever images are made that day are all that’s left of that particular life.
These images are a special way of looking. They ask one to see the flower in an intimate way. Looking closely, one sees aspects that are unseen until the bloom is crushed between two pieces of glass.
In A Secret Life
"A dreamer whether awake or asleep must accept her dreams" Anon
All things are possible in a dream, especially a day dream. In a dream there is the possibility of escaping reality and creating another life, a secret life. In a secret life one can be strong or one can be wonderfully weak. One can be loved and desired. One can be anything one wants to be, in a secret life.
In my mind a young girl lies on her bed alone. The house is quiet. She dreams of another life, of a fantasy life fueled by her enthusiasm for the stories of the Grimm Brothers, Louis Carroll and others of that ilk. Stories unfold in her daydreams....lush, rich stories. Sometimes in these stories she is brave and strong like Joan of Arc. Sometimes she is helpless, scared and lost much like Alice as she makes her way through Wonderland. Always, in her dreams there is adventure. In A Secret Life is an attempt to evoke the feelings and emotions of that young girl. This series is about imagination and dreaming, about longing and desire.
Say Goodbye to Innocence
In October 2004 I showed with The Nocturnes as a part of San Francisco Open Studios. The Nocturnes, is a group of diverse, talented photographers who photograph at night. Being a part of Studio Nocturnes inspired me to make a special group of images related to In a Secret Life. These images are shotat night.
They are loosely based on one of my favorite tales, Little Red Riding Hood. This is the story of a young girl who goes out on an errand, meets a stranger, is tricked by the stranger and prevails at the end.
My interpretation of this very old story is called Say Goodbye to Innocence. In describing Little Red Riding Hood Wikipedia, says "It may be a children's tale but it contains within it themes of sex, violence and even cannibalism." Yum, yum, just the kinds of things a young girl might dream about.
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