VSONOMA Contemporary

Artist Statement — Timothy Sens
Distraction Distortion.

My appreciation of Minimalism and Abstract Art began in the latter half of 2015. As a mature artist, I had been designing contemporary jewelry and photographing the natural world for over forty years and had come to the realization of the need for change. My artistic expression and vision had plateaued. I was losing interest in jewelry design for which I had been passionate for so many years. Likewise, the subject of Nature Photography was also not inspiring my soul as it once did. However, I still very much enjoyed making images. This was especially augmented by advances in digital imagery and in post processing. The time had come - it was time for a change.

I was beginning to identify with the cultural trend of minimalism at this time. Less is more made a lot of sense to me. It was also affecting my artistic eye. I became aware of the early minimalist artists and it began influencing my choices of subject matter that I captured with my camera. I was radically changing. I found the Urban Cityscape to be especially interesting. I was intrigued and excited by the hard clean lines and the unbroken blocks of color and form that I was steeping myself in as I explored the ‘arch minimal cityscape’.

"I especially enjoyed making images that had no visual roadmap of what the original image was."

I began to acquire a new freedom of expression that was quite refreshing to me. The simplistic topic of minimalism didn’t require that there be anything identifiable or easily named in the photograph. I especially enjoyed making images that had no visual roadmap of what the original image was. This was not as easy as it appeared and the challenge enlivened me. I was gradually moving into the essence of Abstract Art.

One of my favorite ‘scenes’ when I’m out photographing in an urban setting, are windows that are diffused by the elements or reflections from the movements of city life. During the summer months, high humidity and changes in temperature can create condensation on the glass of shop windows. This phenomenon creates a wonderful distortion of whatever happens to be on the other side of the glass. This makes for a delicious image when colors and textures blend and distort the minds idea of what one is visually experiencing. I’ve found that there is a flash moment of timeless stillness, a portal of childlike awareness opens to us and liberates us from the confines of our need to identify what is before us. In the autumn and winter months, when the sun is lower on the horizon, the colors seem to deepen and are more saturated. Here in Texas, outdoor cafes will enclose their patio areas with plastic sheeting to keep out the cold air and voila, the perfect distraction distortion! These target rich environs offer up lovely jewels for photographic experiences.

These days, I revel in these moments of clear seeing through the camera lens. The guardian of time relinquishes its’ grip and I’m left to explore and immerse into a world of stellar, sweet beauty. It is right there before me, hiding in plain sight within the enveloping veil of a common world.