HOPE HOOD

STATEMENT

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My artwork primarily focuses on the emotional experiences that the people around me, such as my friends and family, and I have experienced. I try to form pieces that invite the viewer to engage in the feelings I have developed towards a specific moment or situation. I tend to view the world through the lens of through the lens of a film camera, however, my work also extends to mixed media and performance art.

 

The way I process the aforementioned emotional experiences is from the viewpoint of a photographer. Film photography is my artistic focus and I plan to further develop my skills with experimental darkroom techniques; my typical mode of work is to take traditional photographs and manipulate them during the developing process in a way that further intensifies the emotion in the original photo. I enjoy the darkroom because I am able to emphasize or deemphasize certain emotions in the original photograph with elements such as contrast, exposure, and investigational techniques.

 

While creating my artwork, I focus more on the process than the end product. Every material I use during my process is intentional and can be related to the emotion I am trying to convey in my piece. For example, for a piece I made relating to the seven deadly sins, I matted my images on specific pages of the bible and used stained glass and dark wood typically used in churches to frame each photograph. For inspiration, I go out into the world and search for new experiences to work with back in the studio, which I believe makes my work more authentic and emotionally communicative.

 

I strive to be authentic in my work because I believe that art should engage viewers past simple appreciation for a piece – I want the people who look at my work to be inspired to look deeper into themselves by asking themselves questions that cause them to have a personal emotional experience.