Luke Garrison and the Art of Photomontage

(The) Artist speaks Series by Augustus Magus

as part of the collective exhibit “ On the Journey…Art of Hope and Recovery”   March 19-April 15, 2010  Caffe Fantastico (corner of Kings and Quadra, Victoria, BC)

This piece is called “Metropolitan”(2010). It is a homage to the late 1800’s-early 1900’s way of colouring photos. It also involves Architectural drawing images. The end result attempts to portrait a human being who is coming from the countryside or a small town to the big city. She looks in astonishment at these structures. Her face is eclipsed by the shadows of these buildings. She is waiting for the fullness of time.

This other piece is called “Nouveau”(2006). The woman is jazzy. She comes from an ad in the 30’s. The tone is lyrical and bright. There is an emulation of decorative symbols and of the codes used in manufacturing. I scratched the target design only. The vertical structure is an image of a house done by Paul Klee and modified by me in Photoshop. The piece tries to make reference to the simpler times. Artists, in my opinion, want to escape to simplicity.

This piece is called “Par avion” (2009). The woman is a suffering Saint in an emblematic sort of beauty. ‘Contents’ and ‘Saints’ are both subjected to rigorous inspection by authorities, either Government or Church. She looks up to her Saviour. When I work in certain pieces like this one, Grace comes to inspire me into Beauty.

“Madonna & Child” (2005). For this piece I used a photograph that I took near Perugia, Italy. The background comes from a card that I bought somewhere else in Europe, perhaps France. I liked the tactility of the flesh of the Virgin coming through, like a fingerprint on her face or as computer circuitry boards.

I studied at the Ontario College of Art & Design and graduated in 2005 in Advertising. I really didn’t want to go into Advertising. I studied at the College because of the access to the computers. I had issues with the integrity of Advertising. I did not want to partake of a lucrative lifestyle that I did not like. That is, to retrain myself visually and then reframe the Truth to make others consume.

In my opinion, the earliest advertising that exists is when the serpent pushed the apple to Eve.

I just want to make Art and Beauty.

Luke Garrison.