Complex Bush 1
Some recent editing of digital files made on Flinders Island has caused me to also revisit some early 4x5 landscape work that has been part of an ongoing (but not fully resolved) body of work relating to bush landscapes.
To me, many aspects of the Australian bush are harsh, messy and lacking in any of the 'traditional' notions of 'beauty' associated with conventional image making processes. Australian light is also particularly harsh, adding to the mix of issues.
At the time I had also been reading about the fractal analysis of forms in nature and was also heavily influenced by much of Jackson Pollack's work (Blue Poles in particular). Works by Fred Williams were also very much in mind as well as photographic work by Fred Sommer (particularly the series made in Arizona). These factors were always present in my mind when making this work.
There have been numerous articles written about the fractal analysis of Pollack's 'drip paintings'... here is another link as well...
The original images were made in 1985 & 1986, and these are recently re-edited versions. While the original darkroom prints are still quite satisfactory to me, the ability to use accurate luminosity masks in Photoshop now has allowed a much greater degree of control over tonal relationships and tonal mapping.
Bush Chaos (Part 1) 4x5 Negatives
Bush Chaos (Part 3) 6x6 Negatives
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