Alison Bixby

ARTIST STATEMENT • BIO • PHOTOGRAPHS • SERIES • EXHIBITIONS • CONTACT

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ARTIST STATEMENT - BEACHES AND WATER

I have lived near and traveled to see various lakes, rivers and oceans over the course of my life. With this series, I wish to create interesting, peaceful images to express the feelings of serenity and solace that I find in places near water. I use my camera to escape the routines of everyday life. Breathing the fresh air by the water and separating myself from the city’s traffic makes me feel comforted and more deeply connected to nature, even if I can still see the skyline in the distance.

In Chicago, I have made my home in several different buildings located within walking distance to Lake Michigan, and I sometimes even had a view of the lake. In New York City, I lived close to the East River for my first decade after college. An influence on my affinity toward walking by the water may have been my childhood annual vacations spent at the beach in Cape May, New Jersey. In addition, since 1995 I have regularly visited family in Honolulu, Hawaii. I am inspired to photograph the ocean when returning to Waikiki Beach on Oahu and when visiting other Hawaiian islands.

My subjects are combinations of color, light, shadow, air, earth and water. This series includes square, traditional color photographs that were shot on 2¼ negatives using my Yashica 124-G camera, and rectangular shots taken with my Canon digital cameras. Most of the images in this series were made in Chicago, Illinois and the islands of Hawaii. I shot some of my additional photographs in this series while taking trips to nearby beaches in Indiana and southwestern Michigan.