Traverse Through Orient: Inner Landscapes Revealed Artist's Statement Oysterponds Historical Society Solo Exhibition
When I first began coming out to Orient eleven years ago I fell into my usual habit of waking early and exploring, camera (on tripod) in hand. For the first few years I found it difficult to find anything to photograph. Although I felt an inexplicable attraction to the area it was not "photogenic" in the way I was accustomed. Relatively flat, the topography had such recessive proportions that it frustrated me. I was accustomed to the waterfronts of Brooklyn, Queens and Manhattan where bridges, skyscrapers and high vantage points offered images of grandeur and monument. What was Orient but fields of grass and usually calm bodies of water?
Habits are hard to break so I persisted in bringing my camera to Orient. Eventually I became conscious of what I was responding to and the photographs exhibited here are evidence of my education in the subtle yet powerful qualities of this unique landscape. As I shed my former preference for the "dramatic" I began to seek a quieter polyphony of elements that define the Orient experience. I discovered timing was much more critical when working in this environment. I found I had to gather foreground, middle and background with the right weather and tide in order to obtain a complex enough image which reflected the richness. My awareness of these natural cycles including bird, insect and fish migrations, algae blooms and flowering grass all contributed to my total immersion in the particular place and moment at hand. In retrospect I am pleasantly surprised at the individuality of each image.
What makes Orient special? It surprises us, appearing around the bend of the causeway. Isolated, fertile and protected it nurtures a sense of the eternal flow of water and light. The sky is big and the boundaries distant but not infinite. Unlike the drama and monument of other landscapes which exalt or humble the human observer Orient invites one to meet oneself in the modest yet remarkable possibilities of one's own life.
Thomas Rozakis April 2000
When I first began coming out to Orient eleven years ago I fell into my usual habit of waking early and exploring, camera (on tripod) in hand. For the first few years I found it difficult to find anything to photograph. Although I felt an inexplicable attraction to the area it was not "photogenic" in the way I was accustomed. Relatively flat, the topography had such recessive proportions that it frustrated me. I was accustomed to the waterfronts of Brooklyn, Queens and Manhattan where bridges, skyscrapers and high vantage points offered images of grandeur and monument. What was Orient but fields of grass and usually calm bodies of water?
Habits are hard to break so I persisted in bringing my camera to Orient. Eventually I became conscious of what I was responding to and the photographs exhibited here are evidence of my education in the subtle yet powerful qualities of this unique landscape. As I shed my former preference for the "dramatic" I began to seek a quieter polyphony of elements that define the Orient experience. I discovered timing was much more critical when working in this environment. I found I had to gather foreground, middle and background with the right weather and tide in order to obtain a complex enough image which reflected the richness. My awareness of these natural cycles including bird, insect and fish migrations, algae blooms and flowering grass all contributed to my total immersion in the particular place and moment at hand. In retrospect I am pleasantly surprised at the individuality of each image.
What makes Orient special? It surprises us, appearing around the bend of the causeway. Isolated, fertile and protected it nurtures a sense of the eternal flow of water and light. The sky is big and the boundaries distant but not infinite. Unlike the drama and monument of other landscapes which exalt or humble the human observer Orient invites one to meet oneself in the modest yet remarkable possibilities of one's own life.
Thomas Rozakis April 2000