Project Proposal: Marie Lossky

Concept/Subject

I plan to draw on what makes me feel at peace right now:  long walks in the woods and along shorelines, canoe expeditions down (and up!) rain-swollen rivers and into swamps and ponds of Eastern and Central Massachusetts.  In the last few weeks, my eye has been drawn to the unloved and usually unnoticed:  broken branches, sawn logs, decaying stumps, fallen trees.  But now suddenly, we are also surrounded by the obvious, sumptuous beauty of flowers and leaves.  Out of these two subjects—the dead wood and the live wood—I will make a series of diptychs.  My goal is to make you observe the esthetic qualities of both.  I will have succeeded if, on your next walk through the woods or the Arboretum or along Comm Ave, you appreciate not only the pink magnolia but the dead branch.

Technical Approach (Input)

My approach is unstudied and opportunistic.  I do not move objects around to make a better picture, I do not augment with external sources of light.  But you will see me out and about in the morning or late afternoon, waiting to capture a slanting ray.  I will use a 3:2 ratio, low ISO if possible (but not exclusively), with a preference for medium to wide aperture and medium to slow shutter speed.

Technical Approach and Specs (Output)

I intend to process in color.  Both color and scale of the subjects will be determinant factors when I assemble the diptychs.  Ideally I would print these in the same medium format (15 x 10 inches or larger) on a matte, slightly rough surfaced paper that has suited my images in the past.