Lawrence Beck - The Artist

Photography, as an art form, is unique in that it most accurately records what something looks like under a particular set of circumstances. This is it's foundation, as well as my reason for having chosen to study and work with photography as an art form for the past thirty years.

My tendency is to simplify form. I search for the substance of things and non-essentials are abandoned. I endeavor to create works in which form and line are direct and strong, with harmonious color. Technique (the employment of certain cameras and film) is important only in that color fidelity, proper contrast and sharpness are fundamental to my work.

The digital process, as opposed to the photomechanical process, renders my work more faithful to that which appears in nature. This technology allows me to make drum scans of my color slides and utilize the Iris/Giclee print medium. Through the Iris/Giclee print method, I am able to use watercolor paper as the digital image substrate, giving my work a more "painterly" effect.

For the past ten years, the abstract rendition of nature has become my focus as I have found nothing as inspirational, peaceful, or spiritually "grounding" as the form, line, and color in nature. Through my abstractions, I am attempting to bring natural forms alien to our sensibilities to the forefront of social understanding. The benefit of such work is a visual and mental escape from the maladies we have created for ourselves in this technological culture. A work of art, as such, feeds the spirit and elevates the mind. I believe this to be a necessity and not a luxury in today's world.

Lawrence Beck