“There is an inherent believability that photography has, and we’ve been conditioned from a very youthful age to believe in images. So there is a wonderful sort of psychological dissonance that occurs when you’re seeing these images where all the detail is there, but the mystery remains, and that’s what I personally find attractive,” says groundbreaking photographer Jerry Uelsmann. “I feel that I have a greater appreciation now because of the digital revolution that has occurred. Manipulated images are far more readily accepted as a viable form.”
Jerry and his wife, artist Maggie Taylor, sat down for a chat with George Jardine just before Chirstmas in their Gainesville, FL home. George writes,
We talk about the ways in which their work is similar, how it differs, and how fantasy, dreams and technique all play a role in their creative pursuits. In the process, we touch on their sources of inspiration, and the thinking behind their choices of materials and technique. “The subject matter I’m interested in is just everyday life," says Maggie. "Things that you encounter everyday, whether these are outdoors when you’re working in the garden, or something you see on the TV everyday. That becomes are a part of our subject matter for both of us. You’re just working from your own everyday emotional interaction with things."
The podcast is available as an MP3 file via George’s iDisk (under "1220 Podcast – Maggie Taylor and Jerry Uelsmann"). It’ll also be available via the Lightroom podcasts RSS feed, and by searching for "Lightroom" in iTunes. A brief bio of Jerry is on Wikipedia.
While we all have a tendency to focus in on the technical aspects, it’s great to hear how artists like Maggie and Jerry approach the process of creation. Great interview, and Jerry’s last line is a classic.
[Cool. I’m busy prepping for Macworld and haven’t even gotten to give it a full listen, but I will. –J.]
Thanks for providing such an interesting blog. It’s my first stop every morning.
[Awesome, thanks, though the more folks check in, the more pressure I feel to post good stuff! It’s like the red shoes: once you put them on, you can’t stop dancing. 😉 –J.]
Hi John, I post Photoshop & Photography blogger profiles on my blog (http://jasondavidmoore.blogspot.com) and include those bloggers in my weekly roundup of what members are talking about. I have a number of profiles already (including Scott Kelby to be posted this Friday) and would like to invite you to complete one as well. If you are willing, please email me at jason@jasondmoore.com and I will send one out to you. Thanks for your time. – Jason
[Will do, Jason. –J.]
You guys ROCK!