A.I.R. Gallery

Leigh Craven

Our relationships are complex. What we project to the outside world may not be the reality of our inside world. But each of us exposes clues about our life and our relationships with the look of an eye, the expression of our mouth, our body language. We each expose ourselves in ways we may not have realized. And simultaneously, we clothe ourselves in deceptive guises as means of protection. Portraiture opens the door to the sitter's personal space. It provides insight to the subjects' character, their identity.

Much of the work in my portfolio focuses on my (subjective) reactions to individuals, often family and close friends. Portraiture allows me to investigate both the physical and psychological attributes of these people and myself. I play with representation and narrative in attempt to create an image that is ambiguous in read; whose distance from reality, or fantasy, is indiscernible. And while my work is derived from personal experiences, I hope that it carries with it universal associations.

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