Jennifer Davis Carey showcases my work in two visual media—vitreous enameling and photography—as well as some of my writing.
I began enameling in grammar school, using a jewelry kiln set up on small table in my family’s apartment in the Clinton Hill/Fort Greene neighborhood in Brooklyn. My time in the studio now is used to create both decorative objects and contemporary art pieces. Enameling requires patience, precision, and surrender on the part of the artist. Both glass and metal, the key elements of this medium are, by nature, at times malleable and at times unyielding. The artist must continually recognize that the creation of a successful piece acknowledges and works with this dichotomy. While I have mastered many techniques, I will always be a student of this medium.
Over the years my work has employed a variety of techniques and addresses eclectic subject matter. It includes both abstract and representational techniques. Recently have been refining the photo transfer technique and experimenting with its application in jewelry and in wall arts. My pieces are informed variously by themes of childhood, mythology, history, religion and spirituality, African American culture and the African Diaspora, and neolithic art.
For me, photography is not solely a tool for artistic expression, but a spiritual practice. It is a way of seeing the Divine in the everyday—a reminder that the Spirit that infuses and gives life is both immanent and transcendent.
I strive to “get image right in the camera” and to rely on little image manipulation or post-processing. This aspect of my practice forces me to really see, to make the tool of the camera an extension of my eyes. My work is largely abstract or contemplative although I enjoy capturing images from my travels—the diversity of landscapes and cultures and the embodied spirits that populate our beautiful world.
Thank you for taking the time to visit this site. I hope that you enjoy the images and would be most interested in your comments.
—Jennifer Davis Carey