Seascape nominee

"The Rock I Live On" is the fictional story of a man living alone on a rock, separate from civilization. Hope keeps him alive and busy, together with a sense of duty to prevent distant passing ships from crashing on the rocks. Alone for years, he is guided by a belief that his purpose is to protect vessels from running aground on this island. The colours suggest optimism; the colour of the water is reminiscent of glacier rivers, the rocks have a red tinge from algae remnants, and the trees and grass recall the changing seasons. High contrast in brightness and colour conveys a feeling of happiness in a world that is otherwise despairing, and desolate. The metallic shimmer of the print adds a radiance and lustrous finish. Imagining the lighthouse keeper’s faith and dreams encourages the viewer to believe there is, in fact, hope all around and that he welcomes unknown possibilities from the distant civilization. Though remote, the waves suggest he will yet be befriended, that someone will arrive to assist him on this rock. He continues on with optimism and expects to emerge triumphant.

Jesse Vance (Born 1991, Penticton, Canada) began photographing in 2009. His initial primary interest was not photography or a specific art medium, but rather it was to work in the film industry as a technician. Years of working in that field spurred his interest in shooting landscape photographs. Vance first explored panoramas with high contrast scenes. He later transitioned to a conceptual approach, with more involved compositions and lower contrast, described as painterly and soft. The intention was to create a sense of relaxation, as if exhaling in a single breath — the embodiment of what Vance is as a person.

With passion and expertise, Vance creates prints to hang at home before they appear at a gallery. He believes the real joy of the process is the final print, and it is for that reason he creates this work. The satisfaction of the workflow process to final print continually motivates his desire to create, appreciate the work and share it with others. He seeks to reproduce the emotion felt at the location, and conjures a particular story in his mind about what might have existed.

Vance’s work has been submitted to numerous international competitions.