PC Nudes

One of the last requirements of the Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art at Providence College was to participate in a Senior Thesis Show. In my senior year I completed two shows. The first one was called Water’s Edge. It was color and black and white images taken near the ocean. Many were from Block Island. The second show was a group showing. I had eight 15 x 15 black and white nudes. All were shot in a studio against a black background.

The photographs were very form heavy. There were no heads in the images. These were not portraits. These photographs kind of pushed the boundaries of the Catholic college. The head of the department did ask that one of the photos be changed. I guess it had too much pubic hair. I did change it out even though I did not see anything wrong with it. As I look at them today, they are rather tame. I even have some of them hanging in my house.

This was a time when I began searching for my own vision. At the beginning of this lifetime photographic journey, I imitated many of the great masters of photography. In this case, it was Edward Weston. He did some photographs of his sons and some others that are probably the basis of this show. As time moved on, I came to rely less on imitation and more on my own inner workings. I think this is part of developing as an artist. To this day I look and enjoy the vision of others. I love being inspired by an exhibit. I read about art and photography constantly. My photo library is large. This is all part of my evolution as an artist. Though these days that evolution is mostly internal. For the creative, growth never stops.

Starting in November 2022 I began the process of remastering these images. Most of them were never printed. There were hundreds of images. It took me four months to put together this work. In the end I narrowed it down to about a hundred in fifty photographs. Much expanded from the original eight. It was a fun journey to explore the forty-two year old vision.