Russ Widstrand Photographer

The Pear Series

Emotion can be a significant component in a photograph, the medium captures humanity in all of it's raw and varied forms. I chose to express the commonality of our human experience through my "Pear Series" photographs, works on Polaroid.

This body of work allowed me to communicate particular feelings through the vehicle of the fruit. It's feminine form spoke to compassion and nurturing, while the violations present in the work represent the destructive nature of man, both the individual and the species.

The piece at left, "Prickly Pear" represents the later. The concept came to me, as often was the case, in a quick vision after a long period of gestation. The execution of the image was nearly as quick. In this case, I abandoned notions of beauty and technique for the visceral and the emotional.

The background forms were found objects in my studio. I liked the idea of a contained space, however I also created windows, providing some relief - both literal and conceptual - for the otherwise confrontational nature of the image.

I choose color Polaroid film as my primary medium for these works. The degenerative look of the low resolution Polaroid suited my vision for the Pears; soft, textural and inviting, though again, in contrast to the sometimes conflicted and emotional direction of the series.

In some of the series I acquiesce to the notion of beauty, striving to make a pleasing or sensual  photograph while still addressing the concept or emotion. Such is the case with "Nude Pear" and "Split Pear #2", left and right respectively.

Published and Shows:

• PPA (Professional Photographer's of America) 6 page + cover article in PEI Magazine.
• 2013 Lake Oswego Festival of the Arts: 17th Annual Chronicle Exhibit, Show and Flyer
• My alma mater - Art Center published a design retrospective with the Pears included.
• Polaroid Corp. (now sadly defunct) published the work on their worldwide corporate site.
• Submitted to Daily Photo Game website, personal work
• Featured in my new book "Conversations", selected images from the DPG project.

Exhibition fine art prints are available, email for more details. View the Pear Gallery here.

Please feel free to comment below. Thanks!

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Posted on September 5, 2015

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