JOHN GRANT

JOHN GRANT

"In my photographic work I seek to distill and dramatize natural elements, transforming them into symbolic metaphor. I embrace the often clichéd or sentimental botanical portrayal, presenting objects in ways that infuse them with an enigmatic quality that expands expectations and tweaks the imagination.

For years I have experimented with digital capture and computer printing techniques, manipulating the media to push the limits of traditional photography. Organic specimens, such as flowers, fruit, vegetables, or seedpods, are presented close-up and in isolation, calling for a deeper observation that is paradoxically both expansive and reductive. Smoky, nuanced surfaces and rich colorations are decidedly romantic, yet the content is designed to suggest multiple symbolic analogies—tulip petal as the flank of a
horse, a wing as the surface of a leaf, a blossom as a cloud. Imperfections appear, and suddenly something that at first felt direct and familiar becomes ineffably psychological, even surreal.

Most recently, my work has expanded in complexity, where layers of landscape content—sourced from my own past photographs or found tintypes—have been introduced as vintage atmospheric backdrops. This interplay between foreground and background introduces a context to the still life images, offering new opportunities for narrative engagement. " (JOHN GRANT)


☁ JOHN GRANT