MITThe Dean's Gallery
. . .
 
Kay Canavino: Natural Selections

September 17 - November 6, 1998

Curated by Michelle Fiorenza



I like to shoot natural objects because I can relate to those materials. These are the things my eyes go to when I take a walk, or see on people's windowsills or in the grocery store, or things I have collected myself in my travels. I am always picking up seedpods or dead beetles or examining egg shells or inspecting the rust of a piece of junk metal. One of the aspects of these natural objects that catches my attention is their mysterious quality - what a marvel of construction, what a lovely patina, such a beautiful subtle color. These are some of the things I want to capture on film. And the only way to successfully capture the feelings that I have when I look at the object is to go through a series of controls and manipulations: turning the object to just the right angle to create a graceful shadow, using light as a paint brush to have the light emit mysteriously from various angles, or using a wide angle to create a sense of chaos. I often color the photographs with photo oils to give that subtle color not possible in color photographic processes.

My recent artwork has centered around hand-colored black and white photographs of natural subjects, mostly local gardens. I try to shoot the gardens as if they were still lifes not landscapes. I love the subtle, soft colors that are close to nature and are a reflection of what one is likely to see. I shoot what attracts me visually; I want the viewer to see that the objects that I shoot can be exquisitely beautiful, a memorial to that moment in time.


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