Lensless: Photography of Katherine Clayton At Indi Go Gallery in Downtown Champaign, IL. Photo by Allison Macey
Using pinhole and zone plate lenses, photographer Katherine Clayton creates gritty dreamscapes in her “Lensless” exhibit at the Indi Go Artist Co-Op. The exhibit, which will be open until the 25, features a series of self-portraits that merge Clayton’s love of film photography and the ease of digital photography.
Clayton’s interest in art and photography began as child, under the apprenticeship of her father. “Growing up, there were two things that were in unlimited supply in our home: books and film. My father was a passionate ‘hobbyist’ photographer. When I wanted to learn to take pictures, he gladly loaned his expensive camera to me. In those younger days, I wasn’t into learning the basics, I just wanted to use a camera to freeze time” Clayton said.
She credits her renewed interest in photography to motherhood and family life. According to Clayton, having children made her realize how quickly they grow up and how important it was to remember every moment, and film provided an ideal way to capture each one.
Despite her return to photography, Clayton claims she still did not feel satisfied artistically. Eventually, she stumbled onto another way to express herself artistically: self-portraits. With the development of Clayton’s self-portrait photography came the creation of her “Mother Dreams” series.
Lensless: Photography of Katherine Clayton At Indi Go Gallery in Downtown Champaign, IL. Photo by Allison Macey
“I had just come through an emotional time and self-portraits became a way to reclaim myself. I was in my mid-thirties and in the midst of being wife, mother of three, caregiver, employee, friend and daughter. Somewhere during that time, I had lost sight of who I was. The “Mother Dreams” series began to take shape. At the time, it was essentially a series about my self-preservation and identity,” Clayton said.
These days, Clayton says she finds inspiration in everything from past experiences and dreams, to great works of art and music. “If something moves me, I will study it. […]I am also a big believer in keeping a photography notebook or journal where I can write down inspirations or ideas. I am not always able to run out and set up a photo shoot when the desire strikes, so being able to have a place to record ideas is essential,” Clayton said.
For the current “Lensless” self-portrait exhibit, Clayton creates dreamlike images using pinhole and zone plate lenses. “What I love about the pinhole and zone plate work is that you never know what is going to show up in the digital darkroom. Because I am shooting self-portraits, and because of the way the pinhole works, I am essentially shooting blind. I love the grit and grain and texture I can get from the long exposures of the pinhole work. I love the ‘halos’ I get from the zone plate work,” Clayton said.
She also attributes the pinhole feature to the development of her unique style, and overall feel and emotion of her artwork. “All photos that I create are essentially self-portraits regardless of whether or not I am the subject. My images are all a reflection of who I am in some way or another,” Clayton said.