The Snowman Project:
Night Portraits of a Childhood Emblem
You don’t need much to recognize one. Three stacked spheres, a hat, eyes and a nose. Sometimes there are more details, sometimes even less. The snowman is as iconic as it is accessible, whimsical and timeless. Universally loved, the snowman is an emblem of childhood for good reason. Frequently a kid’s first foray into self-expression through sculpture, building a snowman is the winter equivalent of constructing a sandcastle in summer. The act of making one often marks the first time that a child participates in a collaboration. Through trial and error, builders of snowmen learn how to create a sound structure. Basic principles of balance, symmetry and engineering are in full effect.
A significant accumulation of fresh, damp snow is both inspiration and raw material. The ideal snowman is different for everyone. Close your eyes and picture it. Usually, the commonality is runaway enthusiasm – the biggest, the funniest, the wildest, the best.
These portraits of snowmen, all photographed at night during the winter of 2010-2011 in River Forest, Illinois, were taken while their creators were absent, perhaps tucked into their beds. The shallow space cast in a white light sets the stage for the characters to inhabit. We glimpse them in their front yard finery with gleeful imperfections unabashedly posing for the camera.
As viewers, we transport ourselves to each site with snow-covered mittens; clouds of breath in the air; and the satisfaction of ambitions realized. Like sandcastles’ brevity affected by their distance from the water and decided by the tides, snowmen have an indefinite lifespan determined by the whims of the weather. This temporal quality is an asset, allowing for a carefree approach to the whole endeavor and also representing a new opportunity for future perfection.
The Snowman Project is on going weather permitting . These photos are part of a self published book through "Blurb" on line book publishers. The book is updated as I find more snowmen.
https://www.blurb.com/b/10190154-snowman-project
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The Snowman Project:
Night Portraits of a Childhood Emblem
You don’t need much to recognize one. Three stacked spheres, a hat, eyes and a nose. Sometimes there are more details, sometimes even less. The snowman is as iconic as it is accessible, whimsical and timeless. Universally loved, the snowman is an emblem of childhood for good reason. Frequently a kid’s first foray into self-expression through sculpture, building a snowman is the winter equivalent of constructing a sandcastle in summer. The act of making one often marks the first time that a child participates in a collaboration. Through trial and error, builders of snowmen learn how to create a sound structure. Basic principles of balance, symmetry and engineering are in full effect.
A significant accumulation of fresh, damp snow is both inspiration and raw material. The ideal snowman is different for everyone. Close your eyes and picture it. Usually, the commonality is runaway enthusiasm – the biggest, the funniest, the wildest, the best.
These portraits of snowmen, all photographed at night during the winter of 2010-2011 in River Forest, Illinois, were taken while their creators were absent, perhaps tucked into their beds. The shallow space cast in a white light sets the stage for the characters to inhabit. We glimpse them in their front yard finery with gleeful imperfections unabashedly posing for the camera.
As viewers, we transport ourselves to each site with snow-covered mittens; clouds of breath in the air; and the satisfaction of ambitions realized. Like sandcastles’ brevity affected by their distance from the water and decided by the tides, snowmen have an indefinite lifespan determined by the whims of the weather. This temporal quality is an asset, allowing for a carefree approach to the whole endeavor and also representing a new opportunity for future perfection.
The Snowman Project is on going weather permitting . These photos are part of a self published book through "Blurb" on line book publishers. The book is updated as I find more snowmen.
https://www.blurb.com/b/10190154-snowman-project
BLOG SECTIONS