13 Days of Photography - JOHN GRANT

This is Part 3 of 13. In this series, each post will focus on one of the artists being shown during Migration: A Gallery’s Photography Invitational, We All Live in Bordertowns. The exhibit is currently open and runs through the end of December.

In the world of photography, what Laura and I are most attracted to is "alternative method photography." The advent of the affordable, high resolution, digital camera has given rise to the number of weekend photographers. The common Joe can now point and click and immediately see what he’s got. And after a little retouching on the computer… voila, a relatively nice photo of a sunset is born.

But in alternative method photography, there is an added element of craftsmanship and technique. John Grant’s botanical photos embody this. Beyond the alarming beauty of his art, what strikes us most about his "photography" is that he doesn’t use a camera at all. Instead, his subjects are scanned – I’d consider that to be very alternative. The result is an image that has been brought directly to the surface of the print and caught in hyper-clear detail. Every vein, dimple and crease in his flowers’ petals is on display. Added is the effect of the image floating on a flat black background like it is held in outer space.

John has been producing these photos – to great acclaim – for the last few years. Now, however, he’s added a new twist… He’s printing them on sheets of aluminum. The surface is then "glazed". The result is simply astonishing. "Radishes", pictured here, quite simply pops off the surface. A near hologram. Not every image is enhanced by this process, but when it works, it brings photography to a new level.

In John’s words: "When I first began to experiment with the process of scanning botanical specimens, I was so taken by the quality of the image capture that I concentrated almost exclusively on the essence of the flower itself.

"My newer work is about a deeper exploration. It is more about experimentation, and point of view. Here I’ve often incorporated everyday objects into the compositions-- simple black straws, lingerie, newspaper, lentils, pottery, mirrors, driftwood and lace for example. I’m intrigued by the quality of "deep space" surrounding the objects and the juxtaposition of elements that create a sense of the surreal.

"What seems important is the very gesture of attempting to see things in a different way. I’m interested in what you feel from the image, as much as what you see."

You can see more of John’s work here.