Swan Creek - Looking Again
I've always found it fascinating how a simple change in perspective can reveal something entirely new. This short video of Swan Creek is a good example. By removing the colour and presenting it in black and white, details that might otherwise slip by suddenly become much more apparent.
My eye is immediately drawn to the grasses in the foreground. Their subtle movement becomes almost graphic, creating layers that are easy to overlook when distracted by the rich palette of greens and browns. Then there are the three birds, each taking its turn to cross the frame, each time slightly closer to the river. Without colour competing for attention, their fleeting appearances become quiet focal points within the landscape.
Nature is wonderfully generous with colour, but that abundance can sometimes hide the underlying shapes, contrasts and patterns. We are so accustomed to experiencing the world in colour that we don't always notice the structure beneath it. Converting photographs and videos to monochrome strips away one layer of information, allowing another to emerge.
I often use black and white as a way of studying the landscape. It helps me see the bones of a scene—the lines, textures, light and shadow—and it encourages my mind to look beyond what is familiar. In that more confined visual language, patterns begin to reveal themselves, and it is my challenge to take these patterns into my ceramics.
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