She Found a Way

Last time I promised you a treat, so here it is. But, I have an ulterior motive. I am also going to continue my point from the last posting.

Here is an example of a photograph made in an interesting way. There might be a trick to it that I could learn about, but I prefer to stay in the dark and just enjoy it. I felt drawn to these photographs, as if they were candles set in windowsills.

 

Light's umbilical   © copyright by Penny Clare

If you thought that my point was going to be that this photographer, Penny Clare, knows a way to create cool photographic effects, then you are partly correct.

But, my particular point for today is to highlight that Clare found a way to create original photographs at all. The photographs are of her surroundings within a bed, where she is confined with a chronic illness. The subject matter is the bed itself and her existence in it from her viewpoint, and not ours. 

She isn't saying, "Look at me making pictures while I lie in bed. Isn't that heroic?" She is showing us what she sees inside of and beyond her sheets, pillows and blankets. There is no invitation to pity, admire, or play at voyeurism, but just "come and see how I see." 

She found a way for us to do that, and how she does that is her secret to keep. What she reveals is that no matter how small the sphere of her existence, nor how narrow its focus, she has accessed realities of life and movement that are not confined to anywhere. She made an agreement with herself to to do this, kept it, and then shared it with us.

To see more of Penny Clare's luminous photographs go to this site: Phoenix Rising, "Out of Darkness Comes Light"

Along the way, you can learn about the illness that keeps her bedridden, one that afflicts individuals and families across the globe, regardless of age, gender or socio-economic status. Because no single cause or cure is currently known, sufferers spend much mental energy searching for and finding ways to maintain or improve their quality of life, in spite of their low level of health.