Urban Elements

The psyche of the city has its very own complex and fascinating perspective. Urban areas create an impressive mixture of personalities, and I attempted to express this in my photographic series entitled "Urban Elements". Utilizing the versatility and vibrant persona of my model, Breanna Demont, I captured just a few of the lively dimensions of the urban lifestyle. By placing her own unique and inspirational style in the Santa Fe Art district of Denver, I demonstrated some of the bits and pieces of what makes urban areas so oddly beautiful.

Cindy Sherman

                                             Photograph of Cindy Sherman by Mark Seliger

Untitled Film Still #56, Cindy Sherman

"I think people are more apt to believe photographs, especially if it's something fantastic. They're willing to be more gullible. Sometimes they want fantasy. Even if they know it's fake they can believe anything. People are accustomed to being told what to believe in." ~Cindy Sherman

Untitled Film Still #13, Cindy Sherman

Untitled #424, Cindy Sherman

Cindy Sherman is an American photographer born on January 19, 1954 in New Jersey. Her relationship with art started with painting and progressed to photography as she found painting too limiting. Although she failed an introductory photography course at Buffalo State College, she retook the course and became quickly involved in the world of contemporary art. She is most well known for her photographic series which feature her as the main subject. These portraits often show her in a variety of dramatic clothing and makeup that she selects herself and then models and shoots herself. For most of these portraits she often must take on the mentality of an actress in order to portray a persona completely different from her own. She has created a large variety of works that have often been seen as calling into question the role of women in society, yet she does not personally view her intentions as predominantly feminist per say. A monumental accomplishment for her as a photographer was when her 69-photograph series of "Untitled Film Stills" was completed in 1980 and bought in 1995 by the Museum of Modern Art in New York for approximately one million dollars.She was also awarded a MacArthur Fellowship of $500,000 for 5 years in 1995, which is a tremendous feat for an artist.  In a few of her photographic series she will occasionally remove herself as the main subject, such as in her 1989 Sex series where she utilized mannequins posed in a somewhat graphic and dramatic manner. In 2003 and 2004 she created the Clowns set, which involved extravagant makeup and a variety of colorful backgrounds. This work can also be related to her 2011 partnership with the makeup company MAC, where she used MAC makeup in an eye-catching and creative way to create a similar clown look. Needless to say, her photographs are very creative and dynamic and are excellent illustrations of the her unique talent as an artist.

Untitled A-E, Cindy Sherman