ARTIST STATEMENT: \;< /p>\n
I&rsquo\;m interested in the linear patterns that can be extracted from natural objects and in the meanings that they can be imagined to hav e. These works begin with ordinary photographs. To obtain just the linear essence of the thing I trace the forms digitally. I propose that this proc ess of simplifying what is being considered literally draws out informatio n\, which though present in the photograph\, is not obvious. It encourages contemplation of the form rather than the object it was obtained from.
\nWhen we see an outline\, we may not know its source or meaning. In t rying to understand the outline&rsquo\;s significance\, we may refer to th e object it came from\, or we may assign an arbitrary and personal connota tion based on what the shapes remind us of\, or call to our mind.
\nThe idea of reducing an object\, or its representation\, to its lineaments or linear components is one that is used scientifically to extract inform ation from images. For instance\, in geology\, aerial photographs are anal yzed mathematically to reveal the locations of fault lines in the landscap e. So\, objects (such as mountains) exist in an ordinary way\, but they al so carry information which is not at first obvious but which can be abstra cted by tracing their linear forms. This information is carried as if in a nother layer above\, or beside\, the object itself. In the case of convent ional science\, the information (such as the location of fault lines) occu rs in fact. We use such rational processes to seek explanations for why th ings are the way they are.
\nThere is\, however\, another desire in us that is in tension with the desire for explanation &ndash\; the desire for mystery. We want to explore that which we know little about\, and thou gh we say we&rsquo\;re looking for answers\, we love the feeling of being on the edge of the unknown. Imagination is the tool we use to see into wha t we haven&rsquo\;t yet discovered.
\nWith this work\, then\, I&rsqu o\;m presenting an open-ended synthesis of information and imagination. A technique based in science is used to derive linear forms. These forms are presented in a format that encourages the viewer to engage both thought a nd imagination. The hope is that the viewer will carry these impressions a nd imaginings with them to their experience of the details they encounter in their world of ordinary objects and occurrences.
\nARTIST BIO
\nJim Frazer originally trained as a photographer\, re ceiving his graduate degree from Georgia State University in Atlanta. With colleagues from Georgia State\, he helped to start Nexus\, a non-profit p hotography gallery that later became The Atlanta Contemporary Art Center. He was the first photographer to have a solo exhibit at Atlanta&rsquo\;s H igh Museum of Art\, and his hand-colored photographs of Southern landscape s were widely collected and exhibited both regionally and nationally. Afte r moving to Salt Lake City in 1999\, he branched out from photography to a diverse practice that focuses on mixed media works and collaborative inst allations. His newest work\, though not appearing photographic at first gl ance\, is nevertheless photo based\, deriving from images of details taken from the natural world. The smaller versions of the Maps seen here were e xhibited previously at the the Dalton Gallery in Rock Hill\, South Carolin a. This is the first exhibition of the larger wall pieces.
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