Kerry Sharkey-Miller

"My work reflects my reverence for the beauty and fragility of our natural environment. The play of light on the ripples of a pond reflecting and distorting the unique shapes of the surrounding trees and vegetation fascinate me. Equally fascinating is the morbid beauty of the remnants of a decaying plant, or the delicate beauty of an emerging bud. Capturing these fleeting moments that are infinitely changing and evolving with the influences of time, weather, human activity and quality of light is where my work begins.

I often portray my subjects in a surrealistic narrative by compositing background elements to enhance or alter the beauty of the natural elements, while inspiring an air of mystery. My aim is to draw the viewer in, question what is happening in the images and blur the line between what occurs naturally and what has been manipulated. A subtle nod to the effects human activity has on climate change and on our environment. An un-natural occurrence that is present but not always recognized, like subtle atmospheric changes. I present my photographs in a variety of mediums, often creating unique substrates and experimenting with contemporary methods of alternative process that are much less toxic to humans and the environment.

All my gilded photographs are printed in my studio on vellum with archival pigment inks, I then hand guild the back of the prints with gold leaf and varnish the surface. This treatment of my photographs serves two purposes. It renders images with a subtle luminescent quality that shifts with the angle of view and adds depth and an ethereal quality to the work, and the use of precious metals is a fitting metaphor for the value of preserving our natural environment.

For my work on metal substrates, I print my photographs with archival pigment inks on film, I then transfer the photographs to aluminum panels that I have custom oxidized and hand polished specifically to create a unique atmosphere for each image. This process renders images that I feel are reminiscent of the old tin types and are a fitting nod to a bygone era." Kerry Sharkey-Miller