Lines of power

We are all, by nature, storytellers in one form or another. If you think about it history has been carried through the ages on the backs of stories. We each have our own chosen outlets for the stories that are important to us. The visual arts have always been a very powerful avenue to convey stories and ideas.

The world of Black & White photography is a very personal form of expression for me and my stories. When you strip the color out of an image you are left with just light, shadow and form, and the mind and eye are free to explore and imagine the wonders that were hidden by the color. The story doesn’t necessarily have to be a specific idea that I, as the artist/storyteller, am trying to convey, but can also be a means to spark imagination in my viewers and allow each to develop their own private story.

There is no doubt that a story can be told with a single picture. We have all heard and used the cliché: “a picture is worth a thousand words.” But often times we can tell a much deeper story with a series of images. A project as it were. I often find myself pondering the beauty of form created by the myriad power lines that crisscross the land everywhere I look. So I assigned myself a project to put together a series of images to convey a conversation around them.

As you view and spend time with these images what stories and emotions do you find conjured up within your heart and mind? A single small beacon of light in a window in some remote corner of the land beckoning a weary traveler home? What about the vastness of the cities that are brought to life through the power brought to them in these lines? Maybe the lines and poles mimic some ancient runes that told the stories of some long forgotten culture. Do the synergies of the power lines and those of the clouds and contrails that form the backdrops speak of something?

Enjoy some respite in the stories you find these images giving to you.