Artist’s Statement. Jenny Rees b. 1956 -
Nature and Landscape work:
I photograph intimate landscapes. This intimacy is not only spacial but psychological, it is an immersion in my chosen subject, a listening - this is a fundamental aspect of all my photographic work. Nature is also the place where, as an autist, I feel most at ease, but it is more than this, it is a love of the complexity and beauty of nature that holds me there. Sometimes I want to take a small photograph of nature and share it with strangers - what will they see? Can an image open the eyes of those who do not currently see the urgency in living respectfully with nature?
Autistic Storytelling:
This is autobiographical and offers an insight into the hidden, sometimes obscure inner world of my autistic self. Most of my world is un-spoken, visual storytelling allows me to communicate in an unhindered way.
I work in monochrome, using digital and film. Monochrome allows me to view the world in degrees of light and shadow. I find it a subtle, nuanced medium which offers the potential to depict layers of meaning and the possibility of capturing illuminating moments in time.
Both my philosophy of life, I am a buddhist, and my autistic condition influence my work. I believe the natural world to be compassionate in nature and see all life and all species as equally respectworthy. I do my best to work with photographic materials and chemicals which do not harm the environment [I use home made caffenol developer to work with film negatives]. When I work on location in the natural world I pick up any litter I find there and take it home with me - I like to leave any site I visit as undisturbed as possible.
Creative Influences - As a self-taught photographer the work of other photographers is a source of inspiration and teachings for which I am grateful. For example, the photographic work of Sally Mann, Judith Joy Ross and Josef Sudek have influenced my exploration of large format photography. Harry Callahan, Saul Leiter, Masahisa Fukase are also strong influences, as are Hiroshi Sugimoto, Susan Derges and Kunie Sugiura.