Monthly Update, comments on The Erotic Landscape

[Steve Sherman]

http://www.steve-sherman.com/tech_notes.cfm

I have two scheduled solo shows in 2011. I am exploring various themes for the show and would welcome comments on "The Erotic Landscape"

Cheers!

[Ash]

Quick glance before work. I like it. I like the use of people's sexuality in imagery that isn't directly figurative, instead of the false "it's not sex, it's art" erotic portraits.

[Doremus Scudder]

I've been exploring the erotic aspect of landscape for years now; I prefer to let the photographs work on many levels and not call the viewers' attention directly to the more sensual elements. That way the viewer can work with the image within his/her own framework of openness. Also, some work of that viewers find very sensual were not created with that element foremost in my mind. "Sensuality is in the eye..."

I think that there is a strong link between what we find intuitively beautiful and, most immediately, the drives we have to procreate, more abstracted, the things we find comforting, beneficial and healthy. This is one of our strongest bonds to the rest of the universe and a primal impetus to explore and understand our surroundings. Art and science both contain elements of this. It is subliminal and wonderful.

I enjoyed looking at your images. Very nice and well-seen work.
(You can take a look at some of my work along this line at my website below in the "Forms from Nature" gallery http://www.doremusscudder.com/?m=2&s=43 )

Best,

Doremus Scudder
www.DoremusScudder

[Brian Ellis]

Three of the four images I saw were too literal for my tastes. It isn't difficult, or particularly interesting at least to me, to make a photograph of a rock that looks like a sexual organ and call it an erotic landscape. I was expecting something more subtle, along the lines of Charter Oak Bridge, which I thought was terrific on several levels.

[Kirk Gittings]

http://www.steve-sherman.com/tech_notes.cfm

I have two scheduled solo shows in 2011. I am exploring various themes for the show and would welcome comments on "The Erotic Landscape"

Cheers!

Congratulations! From experience I know that having two solo shows in one year is veerrry trying-unless there is some separation in scheduling and some overlap in imagery. Good luck! To me, as (I think) I told you recently, the "Erotic Landscape" theme runs through much of your finest work and by titling a show that way it becomes basically self-explanatory-which solves the problem of an artist statement or other sometimes required nonsense.

[Steve Sherman]

Thanks for your comments, I agree with many of your observations.

I believe now I am more comfortable with the word sensual as this leaves more to the imagination and also broadens the scope of work which applies.

Very nice imagery Doremus, well seen and presented in an easy to navigate web site. I find I enjoy the images from areas I am not familiar with more than those that are recognizable, not sure if that is the norm or just me.

I do not enjoy reading or having to write an artist statement, so thanks for that insight Kirk!