Artist Insight
I have contemplated this for some time, as human beings we live our lives for the most part under preconceived ideas of who we are, influenced by what we see and what we hear. These are transformed into truths whereby we live our lives and how we interpret the world around us. It’s fascinating that even with all our preconceptions about the circumstances and environment creating reality in our lives, we can still feel a sense of being unsure and insecure of ourselves and our surroundings. This can compel us to defend our perceived reality with what could be considered a limited view on life. In this limited view, we create our own comfort zone, our personal space that cannot be intruded by any other viewpoint, thereby protecting ourselves from any disruption to our sense of order and familiarity. Even if other viewpoints lead to a more enriched life, venturing from the comfort zone can be difficult.
10 years ago this was the place where my art came alive. While visiting the Florida Keys, I was sitting on a beach staring at a beautiful wooden bench grouping. I took my camera and started taking pictures the way I was used to. While playing with my zoom I realized the wooden bench has much more to offer than the usual pretty picture.
Images started jumping out at me and my excitement level was hard to contain when I saw the results. Fully committed on this path that’s how “Seeing The Unseen” become reality. The images “Holy Cow” and “Two Kisses” originated from the wooden bench.
Seeing the Unseen
Every time we interact with our environment through this limited view, we have already predetermined the outcome with our own judgment, closing our mind to any new perceived reality or possibility. All these attributes have one thing in common; it places our life on autopilot. As with most of our society, life seems more efficient and less complicated on the surface, but underneath this, many often harbor frustration, depression and unhappiness. By going through life with a closed heart and mind and limiting one’s senses, we can become our own worst nightmare by projecting our own frustration into our environment and manifesting it in the world we see and feel. Living in such a state causes us to be oblivious to the everyday nuances of life that surrounds us, all the small wonders, subtle messages, and new discoveries will go unnoticed. Imagine if a limited view were allowed to gain a whole new perspective; the senses would be flooded and every fiber of one’s being would be permeated with new wonder.
How many times have we passed by ordinary objects, common things and places in our environment like a chair, wall, bench, apple, etc. and not immediately dismiss it for what it is. Try taking the time to view it with a fresh perspective and discover a myriad of integrated wonders, like patterns, colors, shapes, textures, etc. that appeal to our senses and increase our awareness in this world. The same holds true when we interact with our brothers and sisters we share this world with. Our perception of someone is usually rooted in a predetermined mold where we try to shoehorn everyone into a set profile based on our culture, prejudgments and past experience. How rewarding it is when we meet someone and cast aside prejudgment to discover the depths of their being and find that it enriches our own.
An abandoned building on the side of the road created one of my favorite images “Blue Dog” when the side panel of the building broke away.
There is so much to discover if we are willing to meet our world with openness and acceptance. We have the ability to change our perspective and create a boundless reality about who we are and how we interact with the world around us.
I always apply visual perspective to create a new kind of art. In doing so, I am asked countless times how these images are created, if they were staged, or if they are digitally altered.
Seeing The Unseen
All images are true creative works by the artistry of Mother Nature or the environment that is captured through the camera lens. The key to “Seeing the Unseen” art is to work with existing circumstances and training your mind’s eye to discover something new in what is seemingly obvious. Cast aside all judgments and expectations of the outcome and the remarkable will reveal itself. It is my goal through my art to challenge preconceived ideas about life and offer a thought provoking new way of looking at reality.
While walking on a river front I stumbled on this old and abandoned water taxi. It lend itself perfectly to try to shine a new light on it and try to up-cycle the current appearance into something beautiful . “Water And Ice” and “Arrow” was created from the Water Taxi!
Each of us has a unique vision to discover the “Seen in the Unseen”; I hope these images encourages you to take another look at the world and people around you, opening your eyes and mind to broaden your life experience. My images are photographs, printed on canvas that are further worked as paintings. Clear paint is used to stylize or emphasize of the photographic materials, to add texture and layering to reproduce the original inspiration. This process is a hybrid between painting and photography which I call
“Painting with the Camera”
Break is over, lets go back to work!
Alex Deiser