Joyce Wilson Lecture

In her presentation on campus, fine art photographer discussed her body of work in a sort of inspiration photo-journey. She discussed her emphasis on portraiture, the role of the body in her images, and the methods used to create such images. The texture of lighting seemed prevalent throughout her work as it emphasizes a kind of layered aesthetic. Perhaps most interesting to me was Wilson’s explanation of what she calls the red triad. I had never heard of this technique before. She described it as the use of red colors in three distinct parts of an image which then form a triangle. Triangular groupings of focal points and triangular eye movement keeps viewers interested, their eyes moving around and around the image, so using red to accent those points certainly seems effective. I can see this being used in film as well especially with directors who focus on expression through specific colors. Recently, Pedro Almodovar comes to mind with his use of bright colors and specifically red in key scenes throughout his emotional films. This may be something to consider in more depth in the future. Overall, though some of her presentational aspects seemed corny and sappy, I really enjoyed listening to Wilson discuss the details of her work, how she works with her subjects, and how other artforms have influenced her photography.