Lou Raizin
TUNNEL VISION
This portfolio deals with the confrontation between what we see and what we know in the complex world around us. Using the blur of speeding trains and the friction from the wheels on the intersecting tracks as a metaphor for today’s complex, frenetic world, I use long exposures to capture the elements that do manage to penetrate the breadth of view, the truth in the moment – symbols representing advertising, patriotism, sexuality and emotion - to find the subconscious place between what we see and what we feel, the place between order and chaos, and the place between cynicism and humor that the juxtaposition of these elements evokes.
My work draws from diverse influences. I’m inspired by the theatrical
world, where I’ve spent much of my career, viewing the hand of man and nature’s landscapes as symbols for drama, pathos, and emotion. From a painterly perspective, I’m moved by the chiaroscuro of the Renaissance and draw inspiration from the soft pastels and misty light of the impressionists. The work of the American master Edward Hopper speaks to me about the moment and a sense of isolation. In the photographic world, Ernst Hass’ use of color, motion and light is etched into my psyche. Minor White’s perspective that one does not create a great photograph by capturing something simply for "what it is", but rather "for what else it is" continues to guide me.
This portfolio deals with the confrontation between what we see and what we know in the complex world around us. Using the blur of speeding trains and the friction from the wheels on the intersecting tracks as a metaphor for today’s complex, frenetic world, I use long exposures to capture the elements that do manage to penetrate the breadth of view, the truth in the moment – symbols representing advertising, patriotism, sexuality and emotion - to find the subconscious place between what we see and what we feel, the place between order and chaos, and the place between cynicism and humor that the juxtaposition of these elements evokes.
My work draws from diverse influences. I’m inspired by the theatrical
world, where I’ve spent much of my career, viewing the hand of man and nature’s landscapes as symbols for drama, pathos, and emotion. From a painterly perspective, I’m moved by the chiaroscuro of the Renaissance and draw inspiration from the soft pastels and misty light of the impressionists. The work of the American master Edward Hopper speaks to me about the moment and a sense of isolation. In the photographic world, Ernst Hass’ use of color, motion and light is etched into my psyche. Minor White’s perspective that one does not create a great photograph by capturing something simply for "what it is", but rather "for what else it is" continues to guide me.
