Florals

I have long been drawn to the floral photographs of Ray McSavaney and Kenro Izu, whose work demonstrated how beautifully flowers can be expressed through the subtle tonal qualities of a finely made photographic print. Working with cut and dried flowers in the studio allows me to explore their forms slowly—the curve of a petal, the translucence of a flower, the texture of a stem, and the gradual transitions between light and shadow.

Platinum/palladium seems particularly suited to these subjects. Its long tonal range and luminous matte surface give delicate forms a quiet, almost tactile presence, while the texture of the flowers becomes inseparable from the natural character of the paper itself. There is also an irony I find especially compelling: using one of photography's most permanent processes to preserve something as fragile and fleeting as a flower.