ARTIST STATEMENT

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Perennial Series Statement
 

I am fascinated by perennial gardens found in our region. Some are highly controlled while others are spontaneous. For the series, I wandered around my own neighborhood photographing a wide range of gardens. These images of flowers and foliage are the basic components in the composition of portraiture.

I am particularly interested in perennial flowers as a subject on several levels. Flowers offer a wide range of geometric shapes, palette and moods. The composition of the flowers abstracts the image, while delivering the full impact of the portrait.

Perennial flowers offer the viewer an opportunity to reflect on the many entendres within each piece. Flowers offer a depth of symbolism associated with their image from the Victorian age. The calla lily holds an association to the funeral; the dahlia is a symbol of death, the rose a symbol of passion. Thus, the subject adds to the overall meaning of each portrait. The portraiture represents an ideal of beauty. I am drawn to images that are highly stylized and convey a lasting emotional impact. The flowers break down the portrait into basic components of an ideal. In each portrait, I try to remain true to the form of the flowers allowing their interplay to create an inherent sense of movement.

-Eric Montoya