inspiration behind the scans

     So if you follow me on flickr you would have seen my newest pictures. If you were wondering how they were done I did them with a scanner. I have been out of inspiration lately and wanted to do something without my camera. Being a photographer that isn't easy to do. I've used a scanner in the past but there is only so many things you can do, so I thought. The first thought was to use my rosarys and crucifixes. I always wear a rosary, nice little fashion statement ;) 

     At first I was going to create this artistic religious statement with these crosses by arranging them to make this concept. But I thought the whole framing was missing one main focal point. It was too busy for the eye. So I thought to incorporate my hand. But just a random hand in the frame doesn't do any good. Then I thought of a movie I watched with my friend called stigmata. Then all the pieces came together so I wiped out some paint and made it happen.

     I was very happy with how the whole effect came out, but I wanted to push it more. I wasn't finished with the scanner. So I went around my room looking at my things trying to find something to use. It became difficult because you can't just throw anything on a scanner and scan it and be happy with the results. 
    
     I wanted something both conceptual and visually pleasing. So I noticed these flowers on my desk. I cut them from my garden and had them in water. The other day I examined them and noticed that they grew roots. So when I saw them again I thought it would be a really cool concept to scan the roots. I had the visual down but conceptually a bunch of roots doesn't do it for me. So I thought about plants in the ground. Which made me think of death, being buried. So I decided to play off of that idea. I was very excited to see how it turned out.

 

 

     I wasn't finished with the scanner just yet. I wanted to create one more piece while I had all my creativity running. I did a piece a few weeks ago with hair from a my little pony. You can see that one here. So I began thinking of other media. I already had used hair and now plant roots. I have these feathers over my desk that I got from Hawaii. I liked the idea of feathers but I didn't know how to use them and if they would conceptually make since. 

   But there was one feather that I knew I could use. It was a peacock feather I brought home from the island that I wanted to use in a picture. I have a peacock eel in my fish tank. It just so happens I was watching him swim around the other day just examining his pattern and markings. And They are called peacock eels because of there tails. They have the same markings as the birds feather. I thought how they use them, as do peacocks, to distract an enemy because the feathers have these eye shapes. Then the concept came to me. I wanted to play with the idea of the feather being used as an eye. But instead of the feather making you think it was a living thing, use the feather to disguise a living thing something dead.

 

     So that was a little explanation behind some of my pictures. I always enjoy reading how other artist come up with ideas and the process of how they got to them. So I thought I'd share a few with you. Maybe one of you will enjoy it :)

  xxaustin