I have been working on this series for the past couple of weeks. Again it focuses on my grandmothers. We had recently sold one of their homes and the second is looking to downsize as well. I went back into the rooms I once frequented as a child, the beds I’d slept in during overnight visits and prayed: “Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take.” This body of work was created for the self-published book my Digital Imaging class is producing (link to purchase coming soon) and has allowed me to address my faith, my youth and my aging grandmothers.
Probably like you I’ve seen a lot of studies where the photographer figures in the narrative. Sometime I feel that the narrative is just an excuse for the photographer to be centre stage and that there’s not much else in there.
I don’t get that feeling here. The photo of you wrapped up in the blanket, and with your tutu dress on the bed and full of memory and feeling.
And all of your site is carefully, cleanly, and conscientiously laid out. More power to you – I like your stuff.
Thank you so much for taking the time to respond to this. I also get that feeling (of the artist wanting to be front and center) in some self-portraiture work. I try to avoid that, and I’m glad it shows. For now I’m working in self-portraiture because I feel I have to. I think a lot of that stems from being young and trying to figure out my place in the world and what it means to be an adult. Thanks again for the compliment.