So I’ve been taking these photos for about 10 years now. It started when we moved into our first apartment with its north facing windows. I was desperately trying to grow plants and annuals but we only ever got a sliver of sunshine beside the kitchen window. I started to photograph any light that reflected into the apartment–usually light bounced off of car windshields from the parking lot that our unit looked onto. Fleeting little glimpses that sometimes only lasted seconds. Our next apartment was a lovely chalet-style loft apartment with a 2 story living room that turned out to be north facing as well. I found all new reflections and shadows to photograph, usually from the windows of the condos beside our building, but also a bit of real sunshine from high up the second story loft window. That window must have had a view over the top of the adjacent condos, but we could only ever see the square of sun that shone on the wall . Last summer we moved into our first house with my coveted east/west orientation and I thought my search for light was over. Then the neighbors across the street would come home from work and the light would bounce of their windshield into my living room and I ran for the camera.

It’s not just reflected light that I’m photographing now, but also sunlight and shadows, all as seen in the corners of rooms and ceilings and doors. I think that it’s time to explore this in my art. I’m not sure exactly what I want to do so I’m just starting with doing some studies from the photos. This one is acrylic with a lot of glazing layers and gel medium. It’s very shiny (see photo below).

At first I wondered if there was enough “meat” in reflections as subject matter. I guess it will depend on what I do with it, but I was mending a book at work today on the artist Christopher Pratt and was very inspired by his work, especially: Sunday Afternoon, Good Friday, and Sackville Attic. What beautiful images of seemingly mundane subject matter.