Artists Statement.

I have been a photographer for most of my life. In that time I have always worked from an intuitive perspective rather that from an intellectual one.

I am calm and ‘trance like’ when I am photographing, as though the information gathered by my eyes bypasses my brain. As ‘Minor White’ said, “you should photograph with your mind like the film in your camera – blank but receptive”. I feel that this is reflected in my work. I invite meditation – not discourse. What I see and construct, I wish to distil to a certain essence, whereby the object photographed becomes something other than a ’thing in itself’.

My projects, subject matter, materials and techniques vary with little rhyme or reason – a quite natural way of working for me. This is a consequence, and in harmony, with working intuitively.

I work introspectively, somewhat in a vacuum. This has both advantages and disadvantages. I am generally unswayed by current photographic fashion. This insular way of working, I feel, helps me by true to myself creatively.

I like to spend time with my subjects. As a result my creative output is slow, both in development and execution. Final images are often the result of months and sometimes years of experimenting, rephotographing, and ‘living’ with work prints.

I take a lot of photographs – most of these are ‘sketches’ or references for final works.

I don’t limit myself to certain tools or techniques – I embrace all that is available to me in order to obtain what I feel is in harmony with the subject. The process is all important. The way an image is captured, in terms of materials and tools, is a vital component to the end result.

My creative journey is to further refine and distil my vision – to work towards an interpretation that is sheer, poetic and pure. 

Ashley Mackevicius. 2016