In this piece I’m exploring the idea of the Garden of Eden as a place beyond good & evil, as well as the kabbalistic notion that everything that happens here on our everyday plane of existence is an imperfect reflection of a higher reality which we cannot perceive. The ghost-like tree on the central floating island approximates the colors & composition of the kabbalistic Tree of Life diagram. Like it, this tree might be perceived as an archetype of what is possible in life. This print is part of a collection of photo-collage-based prints that I began creating in late 2011. I start with photos I take myself, then combine & alter them in Photoshop. in the past, I had used photography only to document & my worknever as a creative tool. But I began having an overwhelming feeling, as I was looking around, that the images around me were just too beautiful & too intricate to not try to capture them in photos & to use that imagery in my work. I wouldn’t call myself a photographerI feel like more of a collector, picking up images to use in assemblages or collages, as one might collect old postcards or junk. I assemble & alter the images pretty extensively in order to make some kind of statement. I feel as though, in photography & Photoshop, I’ve gotten hold of a new brush, or a whole new toolbox. One 15 x 19 archival giclee print, numbered, part of an open edition. Professionally printed on Hahnemule Museum Etching fine art paper using Epson Ultrachrome K3 inks. Rolled & shipped in a cardboard tube. What is the difference in quality between a giclee print & a less-expensive laser print? The laser prints look great on their own, & for the very low price they can’t be beat. Giclee prints like this one, however, in addition to being archival (kept out of direct sunshine, they should stay brilliant for a lifetime), are sharper, clearer, & more saturated with color. The surface of the paper is slightly textured & similar to watercolor paper, as opposed to the smooth matte finish of the paper we use for our laser prints. Tree 1 | Floating Giclee 15x19 | Unframed Print
