MARSHMALLOWS,
hold the fluff
I am seeing a glimpse of Spring in the entries for the $5 Art Contest. I am glad to know I’m not the only one ready to slough off winter. Winter is full of baggage and contemplation for me. This year in particular has required that I get a handle on a new existence, face reality and embrace my new self. As I grow older, one resounding truth comes through–I am not alone. If I have a heartbreak or joy, the chance are good that someone out there has been through it too. I used to believe that no one could feel the way I feel, but I find it comforting now to be a part of the shared experience of life.
This month’s artist works as a photographer. And although I have a soft spot for photography, I have featured very few photographers. Mainly, I find photographers think as photographers (go figure) and frequently don’t present themselves or their work as ART. But I found a soft spot in this month’s artist. A gooey center to the marshmallow, made of more than just sugar. I found a shared experience of grief and rebirth–an inward contemplation that spoke to larger truth.
Self as other, a theme with which I share a special bond. On behalf of ArtAndArtDeadlines.com, I am proud to announce the Featured Artist chosen from the January entries to the $5 Art Contest is Lori Pond. I find her work both unique and communal. Let your own Spring renewal be inspired by a little soul exposure from Lori Pond…
When 8 year old Lori was asked about her favorite hobby, her immediate reply was “dreaming.” “I have always had some sort of camera in hand for as long as I can remember. The re’s something about freezing a moment in time that has always appealed to me. I’ve used Kodak Instamatics, Polaroid Land Cameras, a Minolta SRT 101, plastic toy cameras and a whole slew of Nikon film and digital cameras. I often wonder, ‘What is Reality?’ Is it what I see with my eyes or what I dream with my mind’s eye?”
Are you self taught or formally instructed? “My Dad introduced to me to photography. He showed me how to develop black and white film and how to print an image with an enlarger. He often took me out to the desert in the springtime so we could make images of the ephemeral wildflowers that would spring up out of the dirt.
“In addition, I have been lucky to have studied with some amazing artist photographers, too, such as Cig Harvey, Aline Smithson, Joyce Tenneson, Eddie Soloway, JoAnn Callis and Connie Imboden, to name a few.”
Talk to me about the process you use. “My creative process involves using both the camera and post processing tools to paint in light, color, texture and movement to reveal my photographic ‘alpha state’.”
Clearly, the figure has a strong influence in your work. Tell me what motivated you to turn the camera on yourself in “Self”. “Self” has been a lifelong project, mainly because when I’ve needed a model, I’ve been conveniently around! It’s funny, because I rarely let someone else take a photograph of me–I’m very shy that way. But, I have no problem shooting myself then showing those images to anyone. There’s a psychological story in here somewhere. I do find myself gravitating toward self-portraiture when I’m going through a big change in my life, such as my recent divorce.”
Tell me about “Divorce”. It is quite a departure from the more ethereal quality of your other work. Wanna talk about that? “‘Divorce’ came about because after being married for 20 years, I realized my marriage didn’t work anymore. I never thought in a million years I would get a divorce. My husband and I were always seen as the ‘perfect couple.’ But, we grew apart. I started to photograph how I was feeling in the middle of the process when my husband moved out of the house. Suddenly, I was walking around in empty rooms and I didn’t know how to fill them up. Making self-portraits in these ‘new’ spaces was a sort of catharsis and self-therapy for me as I adjusted to a new life as a single woman.”
What style or school of art do you think your work fits into and why? “I am constantly being told I have a million different ideas and that I don’t fit into any particular style. My landscape work has been referred to as ‘The New Pictorialism’ by Stephen Perloff of The Photo Review, and my self-portraiture compared to Cindy Sherman. I’ve shot documentary style images of psychiatric patients and macro images of tulips. I guess I would call my work omnivorous, because I look at everything and take it all in!” Omnivorous, eh? Thanks for the perfect segue.
You know we have to talk about food. What is your favorite? “I have favorite combinations of food rather than one specific food. For instance, pears sauteed in butter and champagne are ne plus ultra in my book. I make my own marshmallows and I add rose or orange water to them. They’re great on their own, but I like to also make my own chai and add the marshmallows on top. They melt into the chai, and it’s just like a little piece of heaven.” Every artist gives me several answers, and they are often remarkably similar. But no one has every said “marshmallows.”
What about snack foods? “I can eat a whole bag of any kind of potato chips in one sitting, especially if they’re the salt and vinegar kind. I eat them until my lips bleed! I also have a special fondness for Trader Joe’s Popcorn with herbs–also, one bag per sitting. It’s funny, because when I was younger, sweets always appealed to me more, and in my more mature years, I tend to have hankerings toward salt and savory.” Gluttony is easier with salty snacks–no sugar coma. This is my excuse.
So, what’s coming up next for you? “I started a project last year that I’m developing with both still images and video. It’s called “Then and Now,” and it explores and confronts mortality by superimposing a present day image of someone over a childhood image of theirs. What began as a desire on my part to face death turned into a celebration of life as I realized no matter how old we get, our essential life spirit remains.
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No amount of wrinkles and age spots can occlude that spark. I make 3D images of both portraits; I hang a diaphanous image of the person on fabric over one in print; I cross dissolve between ‘”then and now” so the viewer can see a gradual aging process. I will be exhibiting the multimedia work at the Julia Dean Photography Workshop space in an exhibit entitled, “Alchemy and Entity” in March.” Can’t wait to see these images. Since my father passed and my grandmother has Alzheimer’s, I have an increasing intrigue with mortality. I am happy to hear of a celebratory look at the subject matter.
Thanks, Lori, for reminding me that we are not alone…
Learn more about Lori Pond online!
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Cosgrove’s work has been included in shows and screenings at Institute of Contemporary Art in London; Kunst-Werke, Berlin; and The Museum of Modern Art, New York. She has received grants and fellowships from The John Simon Guggenheim Foundation, The Creative Capital Foundation, The Durfee Foundation, The Center for Cultural Innovation and other sources.
SPRING FISH
