tainted dream's photostream

John Sloan
www.johnsloan.net

Originally I took up photography so that I could reproduce my paintings as well as work from my own photos. Since much of my work involves conceptual art, I found that photography was much quicker than painting for pursuing some of my experimental ideas. I like the way in which I can deconstruct images from our popular culture and recombine them in ways that I hope are thought provoking as well as humorous.

Barbie and Bratz Series

Their lives exist as yours never will. An impossible image of beauty stamped into your mind as the ideal. You never quite understand that it is impossible to achieve, except in imagination. You starve yourself, chain smoke cigarettes, go on a cocaine diet, get plastic surgery, and tape images of Kate Moss on your fridge. I wish I could help you find a way out of this place, but I do not know if there is one.

Originally, I started photographing Barbie and Bratz dolls for very personal reasons. I have two daughters and most of the early work was about body image and the conflict that I had with allowing them to play with the dolls. My most recent series of photographs are a tribute as well as a study of my artistic influences. Within this context, I have adapted themes from previous eras in an attempt to question the strange world in which we still find ourselves.

Bellingham Series

Even though Bellingham, Washington is a small town there are institutions within it that use architectural design as a way to display power. I enjoy using photography as a tool to enhance the feel and look of these architectural elements. I have always looked at these institutions and wondered why they looked so ominous and cold instead of inviting and warm.

Sophia Series

Sophia is my youngest daughter. She is highly active and very emotional. Unlike my other daughter, who quickly tires of having her picture taken, Sophia just keeps going and won’t stop until she drops. I knew that I had captured something magical, but I often wondered if I was blinded by a father’s love for his daughter and couldn’t see the images objectively. The answer to this question came when I was invited to American Photo’s “Image of the Year” awards as a finalist. “Sophia’s Drama, Act I” ended up receiving an honorable mention in the student category. Additionally the image is being published in the Jan/Feb special edition that has a circulation of a quarter million.

You can also see some of the other art that I create at:
deviantArt
photo.net/photos/john_sloan
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