As discussed before, one of the real kicks I get out of attending art shows is talking to the people who take time out of their lives to stop by and look at my work. Frankly, as Springsteen would write, ‘But mama, that’s where the fun is.’
And you really met all kinds of people with all kinds of opinions and thoughts. There are those who admire the photography for its art. Those that are drawn to the technology and presentation, just people killing time. All are welcome. And I enjoy each one.
But one stands out.
I was at one of the shows in Key West, where I traditionally run a double booth. The booth consists of 200sf of wall space covered in my large seascapes, which are very popular large (60’’ x 24”), and incredibly colorful stretched canvases of the islands and beautiful waters that make up the keys. An additional 200sf is dedicated to other personal favorites, including colorful birds. Sometimes I feel it’s a bit color overload.
A middle-aged gentleman walks in, studies the walls, moving from photograph to photograph. He then walks up to me and says, ‘You photograph the mundane’, and walks away.
I was taken back, and frankly wasn’t, and still isn’t certain how to interpret his comment.
Has he seen such amazing things that these large colorful prints are blasé? Or is he so out of touch with the natural world that he doesn’t recognize the beauty around him when he sees it?
I’ll never know. But if my work is blasé to him, I am willing to be the photographer of the mundane.
