Finale
Susan Evans Grove
photograph, 30" x 40";  $1050 (framed)
Exhibited at Village West in the Under the Influence show, Fall 2016

Snow Storm (1842)
J.M.W. Turner
Inspiration piece for Susan Evans Grove for the
Under the Influence show, Fall 2016


"Sometimes mistakes get made. I was probably meant to be a porpoise. Nothing makes me happier than being in, on, or around water. My ancestors were fisherman from Scotland and I grew up sailing on family vacations.

Instead I am a photographer. Sadly it is as impossible to photograph the ocean as it is to photograph a rainbow. The camera, in all its technological advances, simply fails to truly capture certain natural phenomenon and what it feels like to be present in nature's magnitude.

This is the realm of the painter. At least the good ones like J.M.W. Turner. His swirling dark landscapes, depicting the overwhelming power of the ocean and man's attempts to conquer it, move me in much the same way being out at sea does. His canvasses are awe inspiring.

A few winters ago, wandering around a boat yard gazing at hulls up on jack stands, I was stunned to see landscapes emerging from the chipped and worn bottom paint of so many of these boats. Finally, I could make a photograph that depicts the power of the ocean, and what better way than to have it represented on the side of a vessel designed and built to travel upon it. As I circled the yard other masters emerged: Richter, and Kandinsky, and naturally some infelicitous amateurs as well.

This particular image, "Finale" (named after the boat itself), particularly reminded me of Turner's dark palette and emerging light, showing the storms that man must pass through while revealing just enough hope to remind us that, in time, it will pass."

If you are interested in purchasing this work, please contact Susan Evans Grove or visit www.susanevansgrove.com.

 

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