Douglas R Smith – Laundry

Description

Artist Statement

I have photographed the aftermath of fires in the landscape since the 1990s. Hiking in hillsides or towns scarred by forest and wildfires, I feel sadness and concern for the environment as we know it. At the same time, I sense the irony of the visual beauty in the deserted gray terrains.
As a photographer, I feel a sense of responsibility to bear witness; and as an artist, I respond emotionally to the silence and stillness. In the scorched spaces, there is the weight of human, animal and environmental loss, but I still want to visually convey a sense of quiet beauty. It seems contradictory, but central to my intention.