Naked Truths

Thinking, feeling, seeing
newness in oldness,
beauty in a soul laid bare,
freedom to embrace it all.

MOODY, EMOTIONAL WORK is the core of what drives me as a content creator. I think, I write, I create in various media, yet the same aesthetic values invariably lead to similar processes and conclusions. There is only one muse.

My long-standing enthusiasm for digital technology has been a rewarding and fruitful journey. In 2012 I had a solo exhibition of artworks created exclusively on an iPhone. The device seems limitless in its creative potential. One of my favourite apps is Hipstamatic, which I’m currently using to replicate the look and feel of old daguerreotypes and tintypes.

While the results are engaging in their own right, my habit since 2007 has been to experiment (see early examples) and to go a step further in search of a composition that intensifies the emotional impact of the original images. Textured double-exposures add a dreamlike quality to the the images, which aptly reflects the essence of our inner thoughts and feelings.

In my recent blog essay and subsequent post, I wrote about how early 19th century portraiture was able to dissolve the protective masks behind which most people conceal their inner selves. The old cameras required sitting or standing still until the photographer finally signalled that the process was complete. So without the aid of a practiced “camera smile” to camouflage their true emotions, the camera ultimately captured a more “honest” portrait.

AS AN ARTIST, I have often used myself as a model because the themes originate from my own complicated, inner experiences. The chosen medium and process for this latest work is refreshingly unapologetic as it celebrates the beauty of our authentic selves.

In the series below, I’ve applied a technique that I’ve previously used to deconstruct and abstract photos of orchids in order to achieve new and interesting compositions. The resulting portraits are distilled, revealing only partial views of the face, but they retain the raw essence of what the Naked Truths Project is all about.

Naked Truths is a work in progress. Thank you, and please feel free to leave any comments or feedback. ML