I’ve been working in the realm of toy photography since 2008, so it’s only natural, that by now I will have developed somewhat of a style. I go through periods of creation. Some periods fog would be my marker, others monochrome. But what is definitive overall?
Here is a selection of work over the years. Pieces I considered favorites at the time and still see merit in. For this purpose I’m also only considering personal work, nothing made for commissions.
Below each set of pictures, per year, are words and short phrases that define what I was creating that year.
The most repeated phrases –
- discovery – 5
- self – 4
- mental health – 3
- reflections – 3
- fear – 3
So I guess that’s it, and I suppose something I would have defined in much simpler terms if asked what my work represents. But, as we’ve gotten to this answer by a more complicated means – I create self-portrait images representing self discovery. Within that self discovery are reflections of very human emotions like fear, and struggles with mental and physical health. But a finding of oneself, or a reconnecting with, can be beautiful within it all.
My about page may have already successfully defined this for us lol, but it’s good to look back at my old work and see the line that has tied it together over the years.
“Pictorialism for modern times. Tourmaline . captures staged, miniature moments. Time at a standstill in between an imagined before and after. These moments elicit familiar emotions that plague our current times – anxiety, depression, longing, with the occasional bit of joy, and a finding of ones-self amidst it all.”
https://toy.photography/about/
2012
Souvenirs: Il Pantheon Progression of Depression: 2
narrative work, illustrating memories, mental health
2013
Nuts and Bolts The Conception and Sensation of Time: Don’t Drift Away
reflections, illustrating dreams
2014
Stranger shadow 1
monochrome, stillness, fear, sadness
2015
Creature: The Escape, 2015 Earthquake
narrative work, escape, fear, quiet
2016
23 – Graveyard Survival: Three Survival: 5 Attempting Normal By the Numbers
reflection, mental health, alone, companionship, discovery
2017
Reflections of Self – Horse diamonds, 2017 Tourmaline ., The barn went swirling up in little red pieces against the sky and the stars moved backward., 2017 10 – party Warm, 2017
narrative work, fear, alone, discovery, reflection
2018
Monochrome 54 Monochrome 1 Monochrome 8 from ‘GUMBALL MACHINE RESIN SHAKER WITH ORBEEZ (and the secret behind shaker oil)’ https://youtu.be/Y0pk5FQf9r0
sense of self, discovery
2019
Lion Aura, 2019 Lost, 2018 Lost, 2018 Lost, 2018 Polychrome-1, 2019
lost, balance, discovery, self, stuck
2020
Loch Ness Monster Sighting, 2020
discovery, self
2021
Head Above Water, 2021
still, refinding self, mental and physical health