The Poetry of the Image

I was a poet long before I was a photographer. It may be no surprise, then, that my images can be seen as visual analogues of lyric or narrative poems, and this originating impulse may help to distinguish them from other forms of art photography. I am not engaged in a higher form of journalism, hoping to capture some truth of the contemporary world; nor am I focused primarily on the aesthetic surface of the image itself. My photographs may participate in these approaches, but they are driven primarily by the visual expression of character.

As a poet I am used to working alone, and this preference has extended into my photography. As a result, much of my work might be seen as self-portraiture, though I am less interested in revealing some truth about myself than in developing personae for which I serve only as a medium. It is simply convenient for me to be the director and the actress at the same time: I know exactly what I wish to express; I know what roles I am suited for; all the costumes at hand already fit me; and I work cheap. I do use other models at times, particularly those who are already hanging around the house, such as my husband, my daughter, or my two dogs, Pancho and Baudelaire. But again, I tend to use them as characters in my own creations, rather than try to capture their true essence, which I'm not sure I could do anyway!

For similar reasons I prefer to work at home when possible, and I rarely go out of my way to purchase a special prop. The objects I happen to own already have an expressive resonance, and can sometimes be put to unexpected ends. I have always admired the spirit of Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney, in the old Andy Hardy movies, when they go ahead with what they have and put on a show in the old barn.

Recently I have begun to experiment with framing together my photographs and poetry. What interests me here is how the two art forms, when aligned in this way, participate in a true marriage, where the unity of the partners does not at the same time compromise their independent life. The poems here are not simply explanations of the photographs, any more than the photographs are simply illustrations of the poems.