These images reference paintings in the 18th and 19th century of the female as muse. I investigate this concept utilizing 19th and 20th century photographic processes.
I use a pinhole camera that I made. Its shape is tubular, which makes the image vignette around the edges. My abilities of control are limited. I am able to position the camera, but cannot anticipate what the image will look like in the end.
In color pinhole photography, the color is determined by the intensity of the light source and the duration of the exposure. My exposures last from two to five minutes creating some blurring from movement. I let the process inform the work, which I call “Concentrated Gazing.”
I photograph directly onto photographic color paper creating a negative image. I re-photograph the negative digitally and invert the colors in photoshop. I then print these small images on inkjet paper.
These images speak to a time when technology was evolving and the supernatural was a possibility. I wish to examine the muse as an idea rather than merely being inspired by one.