Artist Statement
Walking the local trails brings delight and discovery. The submitted images are from my series “Birds and Bees” which was inspired by the mountains, rivers and ocean near Vancouver, BC.
“Flight” is a double exposure. Eagles flying close to their nest on a busy shoreline are combined with a photo of hungry gulls hovering over grain-carrying trains. It exemplifies the adaptability of nature.
“Sentinels” features two crows watching the boat houses on Burrard Inlet. I love crows’ intelligence and unique personalities. They even followed, trying to train me to feed them!
“Birdsong” shows a woman communicating with a songbird near the Fraser River. This image captures a moment of gratitude and connection, using soft delicate lines and colour to match the mood of the occasion.
On my iPad, my photographs are edited with different apps and digitally painted. I like creating the mysterious and unexpected from everyday situations to illustrate the power and beauty of nature and the gritty. To create stories of connection and transformation, I use long and double exposures to convey movement and the passing of time. Fractal templates are combined with light trails, ICM (Intentional Camera Movement) and macrophotography to reveal miniature worlds. My style is influenced by pictorialism where photographs resemble paintings with soft focus, blurry dreamy edges, brushlike textures and a focus on feelings rather than sharp details. Recurring themes in my art are water, mythology and environmental changes, and my hope for a bluer, greener world.
Biography
After spending summers in a Scottish fishing village by the North Sea, Kirsty sailed on a freighter to Alaska, and emigrated to Canada. Travelling to other continents made her appreciate the diversity of different cultures, and how environment can shape expression. To record her experiences on island ferry rides, gardening and wilderness trails, Kirsty began creating with point and shoot cameras and her first smartphone. This led to exploring various media such as cyanotypes, gyotaku, seaweed prints and collage with Japanese washi and Italian Florentine paper.
Kirsty has shown her work in galleries, magazines, an arts festival and a theatre. She enjoys discovering alternative exhibition venues such as breweries and coffee houses.
Instagram: @the_light_echoes