Conceptual nominee

With advancing age, the thoughts about aging intrude more and more often. We live in a cities brimming with people and everybody has their story, their life and their private thoughts. We are all rushing somewhere running to fulfil our tasks and we are absorbed in our own thoughts and feelings. To the outside world we project the blend and unobstructive expression that allows us to fly by each other without notice or care.

This image was created from several photos of dirty bar stools piled into a heap outdoor in front of a bar. Their backrest was shaped into white or black mask. A photo of a cracked clay in desert and an image of a quarter cut oak furniture were added.

I am retired and photography is my hobby, although I have been represented by galleries and sold images. I am an accredited judge for the Greater Toronto Area and I judged international competitions. My images are attempting to reflect my thoughts, moods, interests, views and attitudes, my sense of humor and my perception of the world that surrounds me. My inspiration comes increasingly from the late 19th century to present day paintings and less so from photographs. The advent of photography forced painters to abandon total reliance on true-life paintings. Since then, painters have been relying more on their imagination and creativity to produce images that represent more their vision, thoughts and emotions. I think we, photographers, are now faced with the same situation, as billions of cellphone images are crowding us out of representational photography. I welcome this shove.