Interview

Jul 1

Brian Devon

Brian began taking pictures at a very early age and soon began to manipulate the images, painting on colors and adding his personal touches to create soft impressionist images. His interest in photography led to further study and eventually a career in commercial advertising and fashion photography and he worked in several studios in Dublin, London and San Francisco. Brian constantly experimented with the medium of photography, seeking to put his own mark or style on the finished image. He became interested in Pictorialism, a movement started in the late 1860’s, it approached the camera as a tool that, like the paintbrush or a chisel, which could be used to make an artistic statement. Thus, photographs could have aesthetic value and be linked to the world of art expression. It was his Eureka moment.

Brian learned a lot working at several studios over the years and has hopefully have let that experience develop into his work today. The challenge for Brian is to capture the energy of the moment, it's up to you to judge whether he achieves that. He has been lucky enough to have found a path to expressing his view of the world and more importantly been able to share it with those who enjoy what he does.

What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?

“When I left school, I started working in the art studio of an advertising agency. I had started creating images around 8 years old when I received a much anticipated black and white darkroom kit for Christmas. I began processing my own pictures in the dark space under my parents bed. From the beginning, I altered the images by hand coloring them, adding textures to the surface of the prints, all in an effort to make them "mine."”

What inspires you?

“From the beginning, I tried to capture an elusive emotion to all my images. I felt very early on, the photos lacked the emotion that existed when they were initially captured and I wanted somehow to add that element. I was aware that when you were looking at, for example, family holiday pictures only the people who were there in the picture felt the experience when viewing the pictures and I wanted to add that element of emotion to all of my pictures.”

What themes do you pursue? Is there an underlying message in your work?

“The underlying theme is, I suppose, shared emotion. Can I let a viewer experience an emotion similar to the one that inspires me to first capture an image?”

How would you describe your work?

“Evocative.”

Which artists influence you most?

“Pictorialists, like Alfred Stieglitz , whose style and aesthetic movement dominated photography during the later 19th and early 20th centuries. Pictorialists believed that photography should be understood as a vehicle for personal expression. Responding to both the new Kodak camera “snapshooters” and formulaic commercial photographers, the Pictorialists proudly defined themselves as true amateurs - those who pursued photography out of a love for the art.”

“The underlying theme is, I suppose, shared emotion.”

What is your creative process like?

“I have been interested in various types of Image Transfer since I started this journey but never quite achieved what I was after with conventional image transfer. I developed a means of image transfer/blending that I think is unique to me. I've looked extensively and don't see anyone using the same methods. Perhaps, the closest is Dorothy Krause and Digital Atelier. Having developed a style of my own, I think I should guard it closely and let everyone pursue their own journey.”

What is an artist’s role in society and how do you see that evolving?

“To make the viewer think. I think the development of the phone camera is giving everyone the chance to develop their creative side and the more people pursue that the better. Developing your creative side is a very positive thing.”