City Tales is a sequel to the Folk Tales Series. The same techniques used in that series are reflected in this City Tales Series, but the geographical source for architectural decoration is different. The Pre-Modern decoration for this series was collected in San Francisco, Chicago, and New York City, while the architectural sources in the Folk Tales series were found in cities in Southern Germany and Austria.
Process was a big concern with these large scale photographic collages that often measure almost 5 feet in at least one dimension. As in the Folk Tales Series, I postponed the development of this imagery until I had the extended amount of studio time needed to photograph the models; develop a system of making large prints in the traditional darkroom; and finally, to determine if the collage elements in this large work could be mounted in a satisfactory manner. A number of challenges surfaced at different points during the expansion of the project. Often my work teeters on the precipice of technical possibilities; this work, as that in the Folk Tales project, offered no exception to that fine line of juggling.
During the application of color with Prismacolor and oil pigments, I found myself making up stories about the images in the same manner that I did in the Folk Tales Series. As you view the work I invite you to join the fun of making up your own stories and asking your own questions about the combination of elements in the pieces. |
