TOM CHAMBER'S USE OF VISUAL LANGUAGE, ETC

THESE THINGS STAND OUT TO ME:

- generally a high saturation, strong tonal contrast and a balanced contrasting colour scheme. Some are analogous, but the generally gist is contrasting

- features human and animal subjects

- uses animals as a way to underpin human emotion and values

- photomontage (uses a composition of images to create relationships that would not appear together naturally ... ie. a girl and a deer)

- dreamlike, fairytale, surrealism (to an extent... i think this can be debatable in some works)

- anonymity (in most of this pieces that feature girls)

- making a statement about adolescence or fragility

- use of space (foreground, middleground and background)

- use of colour

- use of movement (in many of his works)

TELL ME ABOUT TOM CHAMBERS...

Tom Chambers was born and raised on a farm in the Amish country of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Tom completed a B.F.A. in 1985 from Ringling School of Art, Sarasota, Florida with an emphasis in graphic design and strong interest in photography. For many years Tom has worked as a graphic designer, including the design of packaging and magazines. Since 1998 Tom has devoted himself to photomontage for sharing the intriguing unspoken stories which reflect his view of the world and elicit feelings in the viewer.

INTERVIEW WITH THE MAN
Technology has allowed us like never before to create whole new worlds and visuals experiences. A photographer who has been actively creating his own dreamlike vision of the world is Tom Chambers. His digital photo montages have been featured in multiple galleries world wide. We decided to ask Tom a few questions about his work

You started as a graphic designer and have described yourself as more of an illustrator, but when did you get into photography and how did these previous experiences change or influence your approach? Do you think this changes your perspective on photography?

I completed a B.F.A. in 1985 from Ringling School of Art in Sarasota, Florida with an emphasis in graphic design and strong interest in photography. Over many years I worked as a graphic designer, including the design of flat printed material, packaging, and magazines. Through work as an art director I became attuned to a wide range of photographic approaches and the ability of computer software, such as Photoshop, to enhance artistic expression through photography. Since 1998 I have devoted myself to creating photomontage, when I was not at work as a graphic designer. Without a doubt, my work as a graphic designer has enhanced my abilities for design and use of color.

Mexican art plays a role in some of your work and you have spent some time working in Mexico and have had some shows in South America. What do you think of the Mexican art scene in comparison to America?

I have benefitted from friendships with Mexican artists, including writers, photographers, and painters who have inspired me to see the world through a different lens. In addition, I have been honored to have been featured on the Mexican online site called Zone Zero www.zonezero.com, the oldest website devoted to photography. Most importantly, my work has been influenced by traditional spiritual and religious art, especially ex votos (paintings giving thanks for a miracle) and ceremonial dance masks.

What are some other influences that are important to you?

My recent Marwari series was inspired by the ancient Rajput art and the legend of the stallion Chetak. Having grown up on a Pennsylvania farm, the Entropic Kingdom series was inspired by Andrew Wyeth’s rural landscapes, characterized by subtle, but powerful emotion. The Rite of Passage series was influenced by my family life and watching my daughter’s transition from childhood to adolescence. Both my early Ex Votos series and the Dreaming in Reverse series were shaped by my connection with Mexican culture.

Do you think your work could be viewed as fitting into the genre of “magical realism”?

I clearly believe that my photomontage fits well within the genre of “magic realism”. Magic realism is a term used in art and literature referring to a situation or setting in which all seems true and believable, except for one or more elements which lend an air of improbability. In my recent Dreaming in Reverse series I employ magic realism to express the loss experienced by the indigenous Mexican people, as well as to celebrate the beauty of the Mexican culture.

It seems that now a lot of people become familiar with an artists work through the Internet via artists’ websites, blogs, etc. before ever seeing the work in a gallery or in a printed form. How do you think this affects the viewer in regards to your own work?

The internet has allowed a wide range of artists to share their work with a broad range of viewers. Like many artists I have a personal website and Facbook page where I share my photography. In addition, I have participated in a number of online galleries, including Silver Eye New Works Online Gallery, Plates to Pixels, Burn, and Zone Zero. Several blog sites have chosen to write about me and my work, including Aline Smithson’s Lenscratch and Elizabeth Avedon’s Blogspot. All of this online exposure has allowed me to share my artwork with fellow photographers and those that appreciate photography from around the globe. In turn I have been inspired by connections with fellow artists throught these online venues. However, it is my galleries that are most helpful to me in connecting my artwork with potential buyers who would enjoy having my artwork in their homes.

How do you come up with the concepts for your images?

The concepts for my images are inspired by travel, music, and literature, as well as daydreaming and musing about possibilities.

Your images are created from constructing multiple images in a computer, but apart from compositing the images together how much do you manipulate them?

The images are manipulated through Photoshop software which provides many options for combining and modifying images. Typically I adjust my images for color shift and saturation, adding color “overlays”, and adjusting contrast and intensity (light to dark).

Many of the scenarios in your photos seem to fit right into Vladimir Propp’s morphology of fairy tales. Your work specifically “Entropic Kingdom” deals, like fairy tales, with larger issues in a very fantastic manner. Do you think that “The Fantastic” is something that is missing from contemporary culture?

I intend for my photographs to encourage the viewer to use the imagination to elaborate upon a story or the fleeting moments of an emotion expressed in a photomontage. Less and less in life do we use our imaginations. Beginning in childhood, our children today spend more time in structured activities than in free play in the outdoors. The rules are written for children, rather than allowing children to create rules and experiences through imaginary play. This continues on into adolescence where young people are more connected to “screens”, rather than creating with their hands and minds. As adults, we are attracted to prescribed ways of behaving, and this conformity dulls the imagination. Art is very important for stimulating novel ways of viewing the world and innovative ways of connecting ideas.

Drawing comparisons between your work and other photographers working with photomontage such as Simen Johan, why do you choose to focus on children so frequently in your images? Johan has stated that he chooses to use children because they represent “that which we do intuitively, on instinct, not through knowledge or practice.” What is your thought behind the inclusion of children in your work?

I agree with Simen Johan. In my photographs both children and animals represent innocence and an authentic way of connecting with the world. Both are pure and fresh, as well as vulnerable to being harmed by carelessness.

What advice would you give to MFA or BFA students who are working in photography particularly those who are interested in photomontage?

Listen to your passions and what is meaningful to you. Begin to record these passions in some way whether it is through art, writing, or music. Use your camera to capture images that reflect what is of value to you. If your photography has meaning to you, then you will convey a deeper emotion that will grab the heartstrings of your viewer. At that point you have made an important connection.

more at this website

IN RESPONSE TO RESPONSES

THE OFFERING
I got two different interpretations of this image:
- that it is a statement about right and wrong, particularly in response to hardship and adolescence. This is how the theme of death comes in. I take this as a metaphor for growth.
- that it is about curiosity and interest, and the concept of offering up ones grief.

I agree with both these statements, to a degree. I think that the first one is more in line with my thoughts surrounding this image. I get the feeling that the bird is a symbol for growth, development, change and (eventually) death. The boy is taking it upon himself to be the messenger in this context and is obligated to bring the hard truth of life to this girl. Overall, it is a piece about growth, and about accepting responsibility, I feel a this point.

SACCHARINE PERCH
I got two very similar responses to this piece.
There was definitely a sense that the birds were fleeing from the storm in a flurry, a juxtaposition to the girl, who looks ready to give in to the approaching cataclysm. She's given up that need to escape, and her cake is her last offering.

BLUE FOX
I only got once response about this picture, and it largely centers around being vulnerable and giving everything up out of fear. It's about feeling out of place, and giving up on trying to be in place - if there is one.

I got fairly in depth responses from the people I sent my images to, which was helpful, but most people didn't comment even after I commented on theirs.

THE OFFERING

I cannot see this image without looking through my "bird-soul" lens that I have adopted...

SACCHARINE PERCH

I am very unsure about this image.

PATRICIA PICCININI

Patricia Piccinini, honestly, terrifies me. It's too real. It's too lifelike.

It appears to disturbing.

Some of the hybrid works are quite interesting, but very scary. The one with the mother dog-person hybrid, with the babies at the muzzle, is so scary. I'm not sure if she's looking at this from a feminist viewpoint, (like, this is what women have become), or if it's an analysis of the instinctual motherly instincts or what... I have no idea what she's getting at. I can't look at it for too long without feeling kind of nauseous.

BILL VIOLA

i loved what Viola said about people having a time frame to live in.

that's a beautiful way to look at life. like when you feel like everything's moving too fast around you; that's only one frame. just change your frame.

viola's work is beautiful, and i love how his work is orchestrated.

everything is so carefully articulated, especially because of the way he uses speed.

i think he works in a primarily psychological and sociological way.

i really like Viola.

BLUE FOX

Blue Fox is a photomontage by Tom Chambers from his series Entropic Kingdom. This series is about the fragility of the human spirit in relationship to his universal theme of adolescence and change. With this in mind, my initial feeling toward this image is the notion of being left behind, being overrun. It reminds me of when you'd play Hide and Seek with your friends as a child and, although you knew you were supposed to be hiding, it would be a shock when they'd run right past your hiding spot without a second glance.

ENTROPIC KINGDOM

I've decided to look at Tom Chambers' series, Entropic Kingdom.

Tom Chambers uses these words to enhance his series...

"The animal kingdom and mankind engage in an ongoing dance of co-existence which results in a predictable tension. This tension has escalated with man's increasing disregard for the fragility of the environment and abdication of his responsibility to care for the earth. One particular issue is global warming which has had a significant impact on all living things. Climate changes will minimally upset and perhaps ultimately destroy ecosystems. I feel strongly that the cumulative impact of negative environmental changes cannot be ignored.

Having grown up on a Pennsylvania farm, I am inspired by Andrew Wyeth's rural landscapes, characterized by subtle, but powerful emotion. I hope to strike a similar emotional connection in the viewer by illustrating a disturbed ecosytem created by man's self-serving interests. These photomontages are composed of animals, children and adults, all of whom are potential victims and at risk."

Tom Chambers

Tom Chambers' words on using the photomontage technique:

Through photomontage I present unspoken stories which illustrate fleeting moments in time and which are intended to evoke a mood in the viewer. These mythical illustrations might address the fragility of childhood or the delicate transition experienced by a child passing into adolescence and then adulthood. Others express the tension in the uncertain coexistence between man and his environment, a delicate balance too often ignored and damaged. Each photomontage is carefully constructed, using both images that have been planned and those that unexpectedly enhance the story. With digital photography I desire to move beyond documentation of the present, and rather seek to merge reality and dreams in musing about possibilities of the future.

Tom Chambers' Website