Shadowbox Series

I call one of my current series "Nocturnal Myopic Voyeurist". The images are archetypal but intended to elicit personal associative responses. They are abstractions of New York cityscapes that are deliberately unfocused with diffused light so that a viewer’s interpretation is fluid, since the images suggest multiple interpretations of form and perception of space. The shadowboxes are contained and layered, further playing with spatial perceptions but also suggesting a voyeurist's view, like looking through a peephole into an expanding space beyond.

Genesis

These drawings were originally developed from experiences I had when I lived in New York City. During this time, my husband was very ill. While caring for him at night, I found it difficult to sleep. I wandered the loft, peering out the many large windows at the cityscape below. My myopic vision engendered a series of nocturnal drawings. These were the genesis of the subsequent series, “Nocturnes”.

Description

The images in this series are abstractions of cityscapes that are deliberately unfocused with diffused light. They suggest multiple interpretations of form and perceptions of space. The small color pencil series incorporate architectural structures and elements as affected by light and/or atmospheric or weather conditions. When these influencing factors are applied, the viewer’s perception of architectural forms is abstracted. These are exterior views of the city, usually with the framing element of the window. The effect is that of a “keyhole.” It suggests a voyeuristic experience of the vast space beyond the structure of the window frame.

Method

The application of media is calculated to reveal perceptual illusions. The abstraction is enhanced by the interplay between exterior/interior environments created by structural layering. The interpretation of content is manipulated by creating a physical layering of elements (an aspect difficult to perceive in a digital format). The small compositions are layered in a shadowbox-like structural framework. I built the complex multi-leveled frames; they are composed of three frames fitted together. There is an outer frame and a recessed inner frame with a drawn border. A projecting wood block holds the central drawn image. Thus the images are contained and layered, further playing with ambiguous spatial perceptions.