Artist statement for photo series, Beaches and Water
I have lived near water and traveled to places by lakes, rivers and oceans over the course of two decades. I wish to create interesting, peaceful images to express the feelings of serenity and solace that I find when I am by the water. For this series, I use my camera to escape the routines of everyday life. Breathing the fresh air by the water, listening to the tree branches rustling in the wind and stepping away from the city’s traffic noise makes me feel comforted and connected to nature, even if I can see the skyline in the distance.
This series began with my photographs of Montrose Beach in September 2006, after the local Chicago beaches were closed to swimmers for the off-season. I especially enjoyed soaking in the calm of the mostly empty sand along with the cooler temperatures. My collection includes traditional film and digital images of my favorite trees by the Chicago lakefront, the Chicago River with city skyline, the Buckingham Fountain in Grant Park, scenes from the Chicago Air and Water Show, the Indiana Dunes and beaches in Illinois, Michigan and Hawaii.
Over the past thirteen years in Chicago, I have lived in several 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 New Jersey. In addition, since 1995 I have been visiting family in Honolulu, Hawaii. I am inspired to photograph the ocean when returning to Waikiki Beach on Oahu and when visiting other Hawaiian islands.
This series began with my photographs of Montrose Beach in September 2006, after the local Chicago beaches were closed to swimmers for the off-season. I especially enjoyed soaking in the calm of the mostly empty sand along with the cooler temperatures. My collection includes traditional film and digital images of my favorite trees by the Chicago lakefront, the Chicago River with city skyline, the Buckingham Fountain in Grant Park, scenes from the Chicago Air and Water Show, the Indiana Dunes and beaches in Illinois, Michigan and Hawaii.
Over the past thirteen years in Chicago, I have lived in several 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 New Jersey. In addition, since 1995 I have been visiting family in Honolulu, Hawaii. I am inspired to photograph the ocean when returning to Waikiki Beach on Oahu and when visiting other Hawaiian islands.
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My subjects are combinations of color, light, shadow, air, earth and water. Most of these images were taken on my Canon SD800 IS and 5D Mark II digital cameras or using my Nokia Lumia 900 phone which features a Carl Zeiss lens. My square, traditional color photographs were shot on 2¼ negatives using my Yashica 124-G camera. Many of the images from my Beaches and Water series show trees by the lakefront in Chicago, beaches along Lake Michigan or the Pacific Ocean in Hawaii.
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Rocky Points on Road to Hana, Maui, HI,
September 2008 (c) Alison Bixby
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Rocky Points on Road to Hana, Maui, HI,
September 2008 (c) Alison Bixby