Thursday, September 6, 2007

Beate Sass

Artist Statement

Over the past year I have focused on producing still life images, often with botanicals. I have always been drawn to the outdoors, so it seemed natural for me to photograph the natural beauty in my immediate surroundings. Although this subject matter was satisfying to photograph, I felt my images lacked meaning.

In the summer of 2007 I participated in a workshop “Exploring the Personal Narrative” with Cig Harvey at the Santa Fe Workshops. The purpose of this workshop was to discover ways to tell stories though photography. The story I decided to tell was directly linked to where I was residing during my week long stay in Santa Fe. My Aunt Edith and Uncle Ernest, who currently live in Texas, had purchased a small home in Santa Fe four years ago. Their dream was to live in New Mexico during the summers. My Aunt and Uncle realized their dream for two summers and then my Aunt suffered a series of strokes which rendered her non-verbal and confined to a wheelchair. They have not been able to return to Santa Fe and their home there has remained vacant.

During my weeks stay at my Aunt’s home, memories of my Aunt came flooding back to me. Her house was such a strong reminder of the generous, vibrant, and energetic individual she was. Living in her space also evoked sadness. I was acutely aware that my Aunt’s health had declined to the point where her life was now a mere shadow of what it once was. I decided to explore my emotions about my Aunt as well as tell her story though the images I captured. I photographed throughout her home and I also used objects she treasured and stored in her home as props in photographing in other locations. My Aunt’s thread and scissors from her sewing kit were used to create the image “Hanging On…” The thread and scissors are a metaphor for the suspended state of fragility of my Aunt’s health, and the fact that the threads to this precious life can potentially be severed at any time.

My image was captured digitally with a Canon Rebel XT. Lightroom and Photoshop CS3 used for digital editing.

Artist Biography
Born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1960, Beate Sass spent her early years in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and then moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico in 1971. She earned a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Southern California and later a Bachelor of Science degree and a Certificate in Physical Therapy from the University of California in San Francisco. Beate moved to Tallahassee, Florida with her husband in 1990 where she has worked as a physical therapist at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital during the last 11 years.
Beate's interests have been strongly shaped by the rich experiences she had as a child. Since her father was a musician, Beate was exposed to classical music from birth and studied both piano and cello. Her mother always dabbled in art, so art projects abounded in the household. Beate's family traveled extensively though Europe, Mexico, Central and South America. It was during these travels that Beate was exposed to the great talents in the fine art world but also to the beauty of the outdoors. Beate collected flowers, seeds, leaves, and rocks from all the places she visited, which is something she still does today.

After the birth of Beate's second child in 1999, a busy home and work life prevailed and little time was found for creative activities. A turning point in her life came in 2004 when her point-and-shoot camera stopped functioning. The decision was made to move into the digital age and she bought a compact digital camera. Beate was astonished by the level of control this small but powerful camera afforded her and it wasn't long before she became the designated family photographer. In 2006, she had become serious enough to invest in a DSLR camera. In the summer of 2006, Beate enrolled in a digital photography class at a local college, an experience that fueled her desire to hone her skills as a photographer. By the end of the summer, Beate knew that photography was not just a hobby but a necessity. "It feeds my soul."

Beate has exhibited in several local juried art shows. Currently, she has a solo exhibit in the President’s office at Tallahassee Community College. Awards include being a finalist in the 2007 “Photographer’s Forum” magazine Annual Spring Photography Contest, second place in the 2006 Tallahassee Photofest, and second place in the 2005 Maclay Gardens Spring Photography Contest. Beate’s photographs have been published in the 2007 “Eyrie” the Tallahassee Community College Art/Literary Magazine, in the Santa Fe Workshops April 2007 e-Newsletter, and in the MyParkPhotos 2005-06 calendar. In addition, one of her images was selected by the Santa Fe Workshops for the Student Gallery in the summer of 2007.
Beate has been inspired by Georgia O'Keefe, many of the classic photographers of the Group f/64 including Imogen Cunningham, Ansel Adams, and Edward Weston, and by the sky and landscape of New Mexico.

When not working or photographing, Beate enjoys practicing Tai Chi, cooking, gardening, and spending time in the outdoors with her family.
Web site: http://home.comcast.net/~beatesass

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