Ken Smith Photo Journal

Winter Aspens

Leaf and Rusted Iron

Brazil Flower 4

Brazil Flower 3

Brazil Flower 2

This is the second in the Brazil Flower series. After I mentioned that I was involved in collecting flora to press, all from my property here, my dear friend in Rio began sending me pressed flower specimens from Brazil. So I began a series of flora from Brazil also. I don’t collect flowers in a scientific sense, noting their names in english or latin. Instead I look for character, and they all have it.

This image is printed 24×20″ and is one of two framed works, plus a large metal sculpture (also flora), that I will have on exhibit at our great local gallery, The Confluence Gallery, in Twisp, Washington. www.confluencegallery.com

The title of the group show is “Concept to Creation” and runs September 24 to November 5. Next to the art, the artist is asked to post a description of his/her inspiration and process in making the piece to give the viewer an insight into what is inside the work.

Flowers in a New Field 1

I have been collecting flowers to press since Spring, and have quite a collection now. Finally I have begun work on a new series titled, Flowers in a New Field. They will be placed against hand-stained backgrounds that I have made. I expect that many will be a gathering of several different types of flora, grasses….tho I am not holding myself to any presuppositions. This is the first in the series, printed 24×20″.

Flowers in a New Field 1 (detail)

Pacific Cliffs

This image is on exhibit at Port Angeles Fine Arts Center, in Port Angeles, WA, July 1 thru October 9, 2011. www.pafac.org. The image was made in a pinhole camera, using photographic paper instead of film…a paper negative.

Two Buttercups

I am busy these spring days collecting flowers for a new series. I am pressing the flowers collected from this land on which I live, a sort of botanical biography of the land that surrounds me, inspires me. This image of two buttercups was made prior to pressing them. A second image (below) is the first in a new series of pressed flowers collected by my dear friend from Brazil. The Brazil Flower series.

Brazil Flower 1

Grass with Seeds

When working with small things, the change in scale as you make it large can bring a significance to the work. I print this new image 20×20″. The large print allows one to see the spiral stems of the grass seeds, and become aware of nature even in the most delicate and overlooked details.

Grass with Seeds (detail)

Grass on Black Rectangle

This image was made with photographic paper in place of film in a view camera. Called a “paper negative”. With this technique you get the internal texture of the paper when it is scanned, same as when using an enlarger. I have included a close up of part of the image below, so you can see the texture…just gets better as it gets larger.

Grass on Black Rectangle (detail)