This past semester in Computer Art, I discovered the work of Tom Chambers and fell IN love. He's probably one of my favorite artists of all time, primarily because his work has this stormy, moody atmosphere about it, and every single photograph carries a lot of weight and energy in their own individual ways. His heavy atmospheres inspire me as an artist in everything I do.
Tom Chambers
Tom Chambers’s style of photography is rustic, edgy, and split between intense and somber moments. His pieces share the same touches in lighting, color schemes, and themes in motifs, however they vary in realism. For example, Chambers’s “Dreaming in Reverse” Series primarily takes place in interiors and look genuine, like the piece Unfamiliar Melody. It shows a tall blonde woman, all in white, gently grazing a wall of musical notes inside what appears to be an empty worn stone building. The shadows and lighting are all accurate, and nothing seems to feel out of place. In contrast, The Bullfighter, from the same series, shows the profile of an exotic woman in a long patterned (Caribbean-esque) red frock eyeing down a female cow… with a giant goat head, including horns. The transition from the cow’s body to the goat’s head is so smooth that it’s almost unnoticeable… if not for the contradiction of udders and horns on the same animal. These two pieces are also a great example of how Chambers’s soft and gentle pieces and his hard-edged brooding pieces can fit in the same series. They all have an overall eerie atmosphere and mood.
Chambers creates a hook with this atmosphere, making his viewer feel tense, as if something is missing and something strange is going to happen. His rustic taste in architecture and clothing create a unique atmosphere as well. The buildings and furniture are dilapidated, falling apart, but are antique with character. The clothing is simple and innocent, some of it with a ghostly flow. Between these aspects of the setting and the motifs edited through clever Photoshop, as a viewer I feel uncomfortable, but intrigued by the unknown.
The “Marwari” series consists of little girls and horses, which is a stereotypically cute subject. However, the series varies from sweet portrayals of a child’s gentle balance on a horse in water, to odd images of girls floating in the water along side a girl riding a bareback horse, to a simple disturbing image of a lifeless looking girl slumped in a chair on a horse’s back. As the pieces push the viewer’s boundaries of discomfort with their motifs, they become less life-like and more representational. However, like the “Dreaming in Reverse” series, they fit together despite their range in their ability to push the viewer’s comfort zone.
Chambers is a talented artist in his capacity to create a sense of intrigue in his viewers besides his play with personal boundaries. His compositions relay his vision, and although they vary dramatically, they share an eerie push. I find many of his photographs unclear in meaning, which pushes the question of why. I find myself staring at the piece, and admiring it although I don’t understand it. This admiration for the rustic setting and the uncertainty of the meaning create a sense of intrigue in every single photograph. I feel edgy, disturbed, and wanting more pieces of his puzzle all at the same time. I admire Chambers’s clear talent in messing with his viewers’ minds.
Chambers, Thomas W. Tom Chambers Photo.com. 2011. Web. 7 August 2011. <http://www.tomchambersphoto.com/index.html>.
