Kristen Sard
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(415) 420-6371
Artist Statement-Coal and Black Sand
I explore the transformative beauty found within overlooked or forgotten elements such as sand or charred coal. I use a medium format digital camera equipped with a macro lens to delve into and capture the secret worlds that reveal themselves as the camera is allowed to get closer. They are monuments and landscapes to themselves.
Each image is a composition, meticulously crafted through focus stacking and compositing dozens of photographs, allowing a sense of immersion. Inviting the viewer into a meditative exploration of the surreal landscapes I create in the studio. Although predominantly monochromatic, occasional dots or swaths of color punctuate the darkness, allowing for some relief and something to discover. My Intention is not to represent coal or black sand but rather to create a place of fantasy rooted in the strangely familiar and evoke a sense of wonder and curiosity. Transporting the audience into an unknown world in which they can observe the intricate patterns and textures and lose themselves within these peculiar places. As I study and photograph the structures, I learn about them and I experience their core strength and resilience, they are more than just charred pieces of wood. I want the viewer to experience the same. As to what these images represent, that is up to the viewer. They can create their own story. I imagine how these dreamscapes could be environments for my figurative work.
