At first the breakwater seems almost incidental.
Most of the photograph is empty water and sky. Stockton's long wall enters from the right and extends only far enough into the frame to establish its presence before the surrounding space begins to dominate again.
Then there is the figure.
Small against the scale of the structure and almost insignificant against the ocean, a solitary person transforms the photograph. The breakwater is no longer simply architecture. It becomes somewhere to walk, pause and look outward.
The long exposure smooths the water and removes the urgency we normally associate with the sea. Everything appears suspended.
The title Observer might describe the person on the breakwater.
But it could just as easily describe me. Or anyone standing in front of the photograph, looking back.
Artwork Information
Artist: Paul Foley
Collection: Intersection
Title: Observer, Stockton Breakwater #6384
Artwork: #6384
Location: Stockton Breakwater, Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia
Subject: Stockton Breakwater and solitary figure
Medium: Black and white fine art photography
Process: Long exposure photography
Format: Square
Genre: Australian coastal landscape / minimalist fine art photography
Themes: Solitude, observation, scale, place, ocean, memory
Edition: Limited edition of 5 prints + up to 2 Artist Proofs
Print: Archival fine art pigment print on cotton rag paper
Certificate: Signed Certificate of Authenticity
This Limited Edition is available in three sizes, with a maximum of five prints plus up to two Artist Proofs.
At first the breakwater seems almost incidental.
Most of the photograph is empty water and sky. Stockton's long wall enters from the right and extends only far enough into the frame to establish its presence before the surrounding space begins to dominate again.
Then there is the figure.
Small against the scale of the structure and almost insignificant against the ocean, a solitary person transforms the photograph. The breakwater is no longer simply architecture. It becomes somewhere to walk, pause and look outward.
The long exposure smooths the water and removes the urgency we normally associate with the sea. Everything appears suspended.
The title Observer might describe the person on the breakwater.
But it could just as easily describe me. Or anyone standing in front of the photograph, looking back.
Artwork Information
Artist: Paul Foley
Collection: Intersection
Title: Observer, Stockton Breakwater #6384
Artwork: #6384
Location: Stockton Breakwater, Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia
Subject: Stockton Breakwater and solitary figure
Medium: Black and white fine art photography
Process: Long exposure photography
Format: Square
Genre: Australian coastal landscape / minimalist fine art photography
Themes: Solitude, observation, scale, place, ocean, memory
Edition: Limited edition of 5 prints + up to 2 Artist Proofs
Print: Archival fine art pigment print on cotton rag paper
Certificate: Signed Certificate of Authenticity
This Limited Edition is available in three sizes, with a maximum of five prints plus up to two Artist Proofs.
