LFF202109 Fusione Reggia di Portici I, 2022-25, oil washes on multiple-exposure archival pigment print on Canson Infinity Platine Rag, 67 x 48 inches
Napoli; rife with paradox and irony—I found sections of the city to be enigmatically beautiful and at the same time curiously perplexing—where history and modernity often seem at odds. Charming but unkept, resonant and evocative, graffitied and disrespected although not disregarded, the echoing complexity and altered layers of this city did its best to shroud treasures I ultimately uncovered while exploring its various neighborhoods, museums, and her infinite array of historic sites.
I am a painter first; thus, my photographs are made as a painter incorporating collective views and moments—sometimes contradictory—as Naples often feels. Combining several images into one, I merge multiple exposures with unpredictable compositional results. Captured using a Canon 5D Mark III with a CanonEF 24-70 mm 1:2.8 Zoom lens, an iPhone 15 Pro Max, and an Oppo X5 phone with a Hasselblad camera and lens, I shoot in RAW file formats with available light incorporating various camera and lens settings; sometimes with a tripod, but generally without. The RAW files are processed in Photoshop or Lightroom after which more layers may be introduced—either of my paintings in progress or images I feel will complement, contradict, or amplify specific conceptual objectives. These compound stratums are the visual language that define and articulate the ideas I see within, and invest into, the subject matter. Once resolved, the images are printed using archival inks on Canson Infinity Platine Rag paper, then layered with successive transparent washes of oil paint to intensify their resonance, mystery, color, and intent.
I have a favorite quote by the writer, E.M. Forster: How can I tell what I think, till I see what I say, which I have paraphrased to relate to the visual arts: How can I tell what I think, or what I’m after, till I see what I paint - or shoot. Meaning, the fun and mystery of my process is in the fact that I discover meaning as I work and I have no idea what I am really trying to achieve until I see it. It is fully an intuitive process. I may begin with a visual source that intrigues me, something that catches my eye, but if I knew what the final image would look like when I began, I would not bother to persevere and resolve it.
So, these resulting pictures are improvisational conjectures; dreams and visions of what moved me visually, stirred my intellect, or touched my emotions while I wandered through the city. They may include implications of an artwork's narrative, suggestions of alternative contexts, allusions to architectural design, or how I see contemporary life interface with, or perhaps disregard, antiquity. The images coalesce into elaborate alignments that parallel my thought process as I am looking and shooting, whether at the city from a distance, a particular work of art in a museum, or exploring the depths of the labyrinthian maze that is Naples.
While I imbed myself and revel in the moment, I continually consider and speculate how the past has critically shaped, leveraged, modified, persuaded, or dissuaded our present cultures—politically, socially, religiously, and aesthetically. These images represent how I see the city that is Naples—past, present, and perhaps the future—united.
LFF202111 Fusione Reggia di Portici IIIB, 2022-25, oil washes on multiple-exposure archival pigment print on Canson Infinity Platine Rag, 67 x 48 inches
LFF202112 Fusione Reggia di Portici IV, 2022-25, oil washes on multiple-exposure archival pigment print on Canson Infinity Platine Rag, 48 x 48 inches
LFF202118 Fusione Reggia di Portici XC, 2022-25, oil washes on multiple-exposure archival pigment print on Canson Infinity Platine Rag, 67 x 48 inches
LFF202119 Fusione Reggia di Portici , XIIC, 2022-25, oil washes on multiple-exposure archival pigment print on Canson Infinity Platine Rag, 67 x 48 inches
LFF202121 Fusione Reggia di Portici XIIIB, 2022-25, multiple-exposure archival pigment print on Canson Infinity Platine Rag, 67 x 48 inches
LFF202122 Fusione Reggia di Portici , XIIB, 2022-25, multiple-exposure archival pigment print on Canson Infinity Platine Rag, 67 x 48 inches
2022-05-09, Napoli Fusione Strada 01+Napoli Bay 01+02, 2022-25, multiple-exposure archival pigment print on Canson Infinity Platine Rag, 48 x 67 inches
2022-05-09, Napoli Fusione Strada 02+03, 2022-25, multiple-exposure archival pigment print on Canson Infinity Platine Rag, 67 x 48 inches
2022-05-08, Napoli Fusione Posillipo 01+02G, 2022-25, multiple-exposure archival pigment print on Canson Infinity Platine Rag, 48 x 67 inches
2022-05-09, Napoli Fusione Strada 01B, 2022-25, multiple-exposure archival pigment print on Canson Infinity Platine Rag, 48 x 67 inches
2022-05-13, Napoli Fusione Grotto Seiano ID, 2022-25, oil washes on multiple-exposure archival pigment print on Canson Infinity Platine Rag, 67 x 48 inches