Step back and think about what has influenced your perspective on art. Was it your childhood experiences? A hobby? Your travels?
This week’s featured artist, John Guild, credits his diverse education and inspiring mentors for the colorful, imaginary photographic world that he creates today.
Born in the Los Angeles area, John earned degrees in both fine art and engineering. His influences include Buckminster Fuller for his creative engineering, Peter Max for his colorful pop art, and Man Ray for pushing the limits of 20th century photography.
It’s that unique combination of art, innovation, and engineering that makes John’s images so interesting. They are all technically crisp, exploding with bright colors and contrast, yet are carefully staged to create an open-ended story for the viewer.
In his series, Flowers – After Dark, John attempts to reveal the hidden life of flowers. He asks, “What do we really know about the life of the flower after dark?”
John’s photographic process is as interesting as the photographs themselves—he explains his use of a hidden camera on remote shutter speed as a way of remaining “invisible to the flower.”
The results of that process speak for themselves, revealing mysterious nocturnal images that are both beautiful and open to interpretation.
The photo below, for example, was especially intriguing to me.
Two flowers seem to be caught in the act of either capturing or sheltering another - and it’s up to you to decide for yourself which action is really taking place.
This final image is from another series entitled Flowers – Surrender Deeply. It is paired with a poem about surrendering, which I found very fitting given that the process of creating art always involves some sort of surrender to the elements of the image.
On his website, John writes, “Life is way too short; capture and hold it dear each day.” It’s clear that he follows that ideal both figuratively and literally, as his photos reveal a multitude of stories captured in bold colors and beautiful imagery.
If you can, I hope you’ll visit John’s website at www.guildphotos.com to experience more of his photographic masterpieces.