Art: Bare Trees by William Zuback
descent
fear of frozen sunlit afternoons and
broken glass,
of the truth,
of dying too young and of
living past the point of usefulness
fear of trust and of doubt
of despair
these houses without windows or
doors that all of your enemies
call home
About the author:
John Sweet sends greetings from the rural wastelands of upstate NY. He is a firm believer in writing as catharsis, and in the continuous search for an unattainable and constantly evolving absolute truth. His latest poetry collections include HEATHEN TONGUE (2018 Kendra Steiner Editions) and A FLAG ON FIRE IS A SONG OF HOPE (2019 Scars Publications).
In the artist’s words:
William Zuback is a visual storyteller. Early on in my career, I needed to balance my commercial
photography with visual stories that were personal yet relatable to others. So began a 25-year
journey of creating and exhibiting my photography. As I visually explored different techniques
and processes through many different bodies of work, people would ask what inspired me to
create a specific series or photograph. For many years I couldn’t answer that question. Finally,
while creating a series called Identity, it all clicked. It didn’t matter if I was photographing still
life, assemblages, portraits, nudes, or landscapes; each was about identity—the identity of
family, society, and me. I’ve analyzed the chronology of my work. Every photographic series was an
exploration of identity.
In a documentary about David Geffen, Don Henley was asked what he thought drives Geffen.
Henley replied, “that just as we all do, he wants to belong somewhere. We want to find out
where we fit in and who we fit with. We search for belonging, self-worth, and identity. It’s why
we become artists. We are not the king or queen of the prom.”
I relate to those words. As I begin to explore the landscape as a body of work, it is
personal. I’m searching for scenes that feel personal and reflect my emotional state at that
moment in time. I might see and pass up a particular landscape if it doesn’t fit how I feel at that
moment. I’m not a prolific shooter. I am choosy. I ask myself if that represents me at that particular
time. If it doesn’t, I move on. Think of landscapes as self-portraits.
I like to summarize my philosophy as a humanist trying to make sense of the world around
me, one photograph at a time.
Portfolio link:
https://william-zuback.pixels.com/
