Discovering still life photography felt like a revelation, and ended up having a huge influence on the paintings I was making around that time. I'm a nervous photographer when I'm working with human subjects (a big reason behind why I tend to use friends as models) but this subject was infinitely patient. I could return to it day after day and take my time without feeling another set of eyes on me!
In a previous project I had done some abstract, texturally-focused black and white photography of food, carefully controlling the lighting in my miniature still-life setup and shooting 100% manually. Switching to color film, I built on that experience incorporating colored light and macro lens adapters, and experimenting with more direct alteration of my subject matter through application of pigment.
At least some of the these were shot on slide film and cross-processed; I don't know if all were. They were all scanned and I still have most of the original files. Strangely, the odd-numbered rolls seem to have survived my hard drive crash while the even-numbered ones did not.
They are clearly explorations of texture, playing with the line between the beautiful and the revolting. They reference body parts, wounds, sex and death. But they're all just fruit at various stages of decomposition, some with a little bit of paint and hair.
Looking at them today, more than anything I'm struck by the beauty of the film itself.
If you love these, I'm happy to send you a print. Just shoot me an email at carly@carlybodnar.com or contact me here. Or if you're interested in something more recent, you can sponsor the work I'm doing at ChaNorth and receive your very own fresh piece of artwork in October!