It’s time for Artist Feature No. 2! This month, I’m featuring the photography of Erin Drewitz.
I was browsing through Etsy, hearting away, when I ran across her Pigeons & Whales photograph. Some people might look at this image and feel underwhelmed, simply because the beauty of it is wonderfully understated. I’ll explain this more in a moment.
Erin describes her work best, as “an exploration of textures, light, shadow and color,” and I totally agree. I love the cool, desaturated tones she uses, as well as the simple, rather mysterious and uninhabited subjects she captures.
This image below is what caught my eye. When I saw this as a thumbnail on Etsy, I didn’t realize at first what it was – I didn’t see the whale or the pigeons. I just saw color and pattern, and THAT is why I love her photography. How many people can take something as mundane as a painted wall and a flock of dirty pigeons and turn it into art? Not many.
To underscore my point, here is a quote by Delacoix, a painter during the time of the French Impressionists. He is speaking of painting, but let’s just include photography in this concept as well, as they’re both legitimate art forms:
“There is an impression that results from a certain arrangement of colors, lights, shadows, and so forth. It is what one might call the music of the painting. Before you even know what the painting represents…when you are too far away from it… you are conquered by this magical accord.”
This one has an especially tangible atmosphere, and the mauve undertones are absolutely perfect.
Bravo, Erin! Good luck!