Dead Soldiers, photograph
“Art that wants to be felt does not have the need to be admired.”
– Darby Bannard
This is part of a new series I’ve been working on this year titled “tactility” (yes, I know that’s not a real word). It is my photographic exploration of textures. I will be exhibiting a number of these pieces at the upcoming ARTrails Open Studio event in October (studio #96) and it is the title of my self-published book that will be out by then.
My aim with this work is to create a tactile sensation when looking at the piece. Over time I’ve collected and created a library of over 500 textures which I incorporate into the images in various ways. It’s a lot of experimentation and technique which can lead to surprising results. I assure you, the above piece looked nothing like this when I shot it – it was shot with B&W film! Engaging the senses in new and unusual ways makes the art more interesting. I want you to touch it with your eyes…
I seem to be going in two opposing directions at the same time my work at the moment, an unusual but rewarding experience. In addition to the textured work, I also bave a new series I’m called “F1.0” which explores out-of-focus images. For those non-photographers out there, the name is a play on the fabled school of photography known as f64 which valued maximum sharpness and detail in photographs. F64 is a very small aperture setting on your camera lens which causes everything to be in focus – the opposite extreme would be a wide open aperture. F1.0 is about as wide open as one can get and so would be the opposite of in-focus. I’ve also published a book of this work, titled F1.0.
Part of the preparation of this upcoming art event has been self-publishing these books with Blurb, one of many self-publishing companies out there. I’ve actually done a number of Blurb books for clients in the past, so am familiar with them. I’m excited to see the results – if you stop by my studio you can take a look at these!
Bob Cornelis' Art Blog 
I see the textures, and I like them!
The main element in my work is textures, and I certainly see the textures in your image– I would be very interested in see more of your images and your book. You have set the challenge to make your 2-D images look tactile and textured– looks like you have succeeded.