"My heart is tuned to the quietness that the stillness of nature inspires." ~Hazrat Inayat Khan
My artwork is a manifestation of personal and global concerns that create inner conflict between feelings of hope and despair. Art offers me a way to gain agency over this emotional struggle by allowing me to explore the space of contrast between the opposing attitudes. Nature and our place within it is a recurring theme in my work because it is a subject where the dichotomy of my emotions and concerns plays out in real-time.
The materials and techniques I work with fall within the longstanding traditions of art. My process involves reflection, experimentation, research, sketches, and writing. However, the real work requires going out and finding the subject matter that I feel will inspire creativity and convey the concept. The tools I use are a variety of digital and analog cameras equipped with various lenses and filters. I also use techniques such as double exposures, in-camera movement, and long exposures, all of which have the ability to distort time and space and allow me to transcend the differences between documentation and illusion. Driven by my impulse to include more in a single image than the traditional approach to photography, I will often incorporate other media such as encaustic, collage, drawing, painting, and textiles. Having the ability to use many different tools and techniques helps me to explore concepts more thoroughly.
As I explore the emotional landscape fed by personal and global concerns, I use aesthetics of mood and illusion to convey the inner conflict and struggle to maintain a ray of hope. The resulting images are a construct of the world I see filtered through my state of being while confronting and processing these concerns. The work offers a moment of consideration and reflection in a world that can feel both overwhelming and inspiring.
The materials and techniques I work with fall within the longstanding traditions of art. My process involves reflection, experimentation, research, sketches, and writing. However, the real work requires going out and finding the subject matter that I feel will inspire creativity and convey the concept. The tools I use are a variety of digital and analog cameras equipped with various lenses and filters. I also use techniques such as double exposures, in-camera movement, and long exposures, all of which have the ability to distort time and space and allow me to transcend the differences between documentation and illusion. Driven by my impulse to include more in a single image than the traditional approach to photography, I will often incorporate other media such as encaustic, collage, drawing, painting, and textiles. Having the ability to use many different tools and techniques helps me to explore concepts more thoroughly.
As I explore the emotional landscape fed by personal and global concerns, I use aesthetics of mood and illusion to convey the inner conflict and struggle to maintain a ray of hope. The resulting images are a construct of the world I see filtered through my state of being while confronting and processing these concerns. The work offers a moment of consideration and reflection in a world that can feel both overwhelming and inspiring.
All images and text copyright Terri McNaughton (unless otherwise noted). No duplication or downloading of any of the images is allowed.