The Old Lady’s World // by Fabrice Poussin


Thirst

 

The Old Maiden

 

To The Treasure Chamber

 

Reflective Essay by Fabrice Poussin

While the artist may never fully know, nor realize the impact of his or her work, he or she may certainly hope to reach to the greater number of people. Arts which have been created for thousands of years are still able to transform us to this day. Whether they are visual or auditory pieces of arts, made for no other purpose but to open new possibilities, have the power and continue to change things, our surroundings, and the people within this world. There is an undeniable chance that this is the reason any serious artist produces his own language, with words, or an entirely different code such images, musical notes, or even the curvature of a sculpture. At the very least the responsibility of the artist is to catch the interest of the viewer, even if that be for but a moment. It is also his duty to allow others to have access to the creative process so the spectator can to partake in the experience of creation.

The included photographs are part of a few thousand shots taken recently during unusually cold days in the Southeast. It takes will, and it takes dedication to brave the elements at the earliest or latest hours of frigid days, but it is what it requires to encounter the magic one may seek. I was, in fact, waiting for those temperatures to drop as I watched the weather forecasts day after day. Then I made the effort to be out at the first light of day with cruel winds blowing temperatures hovered around 10 Fahrenheit.

The results are what I hoped. Nature constantly shows us its transformative power and allows us to admire its workings. Ice forms, ice melts, and the shapes it creates change and give us the opportunity to pursue them with the power of our imagination. The included photographs are a representation of this transformative energy. Day after day and hour after hour, I found myself coming back to the same location to observe from different angles and under diverse lighting conditions how things and shapes had evolved. I then stamped a name on the moment in a way, freezing the moment for the second time. The growth I experience allows me to continually move forward and further in new conceptions of images. From the mysteries of the unique shape, to that of a fascinating interaction between elements and finally to what may appear to be an open gate into the unknown, one which soon will disappear as it goes back to its original watery form, I continue to seek other moments as they may come to life within the unexpected natural events which surround us at all times. Seeing is almost an art form in itself, one which may have been lost. The transformation here occurs in the mere fact that the viewer may and should allow himself to take part in the process, and imitate the discovery inasmuch as he or she can.


Fabrice Poussin teaches French and English at Shorter University. Author of novels and poetry, his work has appeared in Kestrel, Symposium, The Chimes, and dozens of other magazines. His photography has been published in The Front Porch Review, the San Pedro River Review and more than 300 other publications.

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