I Owe You One

I feel that in current society, there needs to be more help for the sake of helping. Instead, helping is transactional, making it feel like they owe something in return. A simple “thank you” may suffice; however, that can be put up for debate. I do not feel “thank you” is enough for those who helped me get where I am today.

It is understood that artists pull from natural inspirations as well as from the works of others. However, the artist is seen as a solo creator working in isolation. Unlike movies, newspapers, and other publications, there usually is not a list of acknowledgments. Rather than creating a list of people I have learned and pulled inspiration from, I put them on display in my current series, I Owe You One. To pay back my teachers, friends, and inspirations, it was essential to dedicate time to make something they could all be proud of.

I need to honor these special people by taking their portraits. These portraits are the first thing I imagine when I think of that person, be it their personality, a place that I always see them in, or further than physical sight can show us through the use of multiple exposures. I have created these portraits using the wet plate collodion process, AKA tintypes and ambrotypes, to connect to my family’s history of photographers dating back to my great grandfather Harry Arthur Loh.