When I first noticed Sandra Goroff's photography I was intrigued, first by its natural simplicity, then by the very complexity of the images, their light and shadow, the texture and shimmer how she can capture both ends of the spectrum in one work of art.
Sandra refers to her work as being "emphatic observation -- soulful in nature." I find this to be so very true.
One of her favorite quotes regarding her work is that it is "painterly and "unpretentious."
Please enjoy our interview below.
l) Sandra, thank you so much for participating in this interview for our readers.
When did you first become interested in photography?
I think I might have been creating art in a last life because I was framing images before I ever took my "eye" seriously or ever owned a camera. It is hard to pinpoint a moment or time when photography first became a passion -- I think it is something you are born with. Once it grabs a hold of you, it becomes an obsession. At some point along the way, you find out you cannot live without it -- it is a part of who you are.
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Little Girl on Foggy Beach |
2) Were you encouraged to pursue this path and did you have any mentors who urged you to go after your dream of Fine Art Photography?
My mother was a painter and people who knew me when I was young, say I must have taken after her, but my father was very artistic (though untrained) as well. He could build just about anything; he also had the most beautiful handwriting of any man I ever knew. While I did not come from a wealthy or privileged family, I was exposed to culture and the arts and my mother enthusiastically took me to ballet, to museums and to the symphony's children's concerts on Saturday afternoons.
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| Tire Swing (Southern Maine) |
3) I understand you come from a family of artists....
Yes, as I mentioned, my mother was a painter but did not recognize her ability until middle age. My sister is also a photographer -- though we have very different styles. My aunt was a sculptress and a poet and my grandmother sang. Though nothing was fancy or orchestrated per se, their love and appreciation for art -- and for music -- did influence and "open" me. My mother, in particular, appreciated my artistic and musical abilities and encouraged them. We often drew together, but in those early years, I was more the teacher than the student. My mother painted up til her death three years ago at 95; her greatest gift to me was her love of learning. She loved painting more than anything else and she was very open minded in art and all matters for her generation. That gave me a certain freedom for expression.
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| Flower Box (Bristol, Rhode Island) |
4. As a publicist and having worked for publishers for many years....
I have promoted books, authors and artists for over thirty years. A wonderful, well known Cape Cod artist I once worked with told me that every artist has an ache -- for her, painting, satisfied hers. I feel that way about photography. As a person who has worked with the written word for many years, I find relief and real joy through photography -- being able to express myself through images vs. language. It is good not to have to talk sometimes. The photos somehow say things I cannot say with words.
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| Summer Porch with Red Chair (Wells Maine) |
5) What inspires your art and what are some of your other interests/loves in life?
I am an empathic and an emotional person. I am drawn to images that are evocative in nature. I am a ruminator and an over-thinker, so it is interesting to even me -- that the scenes, people, things and places that spark my interest are quiet, and I am I told, soulful in nature. My first book of photography was called SOLITARY SOUL (Lorimer Press) for that reason.
I am an art lover. I have many favorite artists, but have a special interest in Jackson Pollack and Edward Hopper: I adore Maine art. I love New England, the coast and in particular, Maine, where many of my photographs were taken. I am also a design enthusiast, a collector (ephemera, art pottery, tin lithographs, old toys), an animal lover (I have two cats - Benjamin and Lucy and a schnoodle named Teddy, who we adopted just four months ago)and a scrabble fanatic. I play on line with people from around the world every morning.
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| Monhegan Laundry (Monhegan Island, Maine) |
My book of photography SOLITARY SOUL was published by Lorimer Press in November of 2013. A reviewer called my work "painterly and unpretentious;" that was my favorite quote. I have another one in the works right now entitled, I'LL BE SEEING YOU and am in the process of looking for a publisher. www.sandragoroffphotography.
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| Skiff (Cape Porpoise, Maine) |
In addition to taking photos....I am focusing on my prints right now - -signed and matted and matted and framed which I sell online through www.sandragoroffphotography.
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| Red Stairs (New Bedford, MA) |
Practice, practice, practice. Be observant. Be loving and see beauty everywhere. Don't be fixated on pretty or perfect. The most mundane objects possess a beauty all their own. And most, importantly, take your camera everywhere.
**Sandra is offering a 20% discount on her prints to anyone who mentions my site during the holiday season.**
Thank you to my Family, Friends and Followers who support The Arts
Please do leave a comment as they make my day and Sandra's (today is her Birthday!)
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xoxo
Karena
The Arts by Karena
Again, be sure to visit Sandra's website at www.sandragoroffphotography.
Her book, Sandra Goroff Photographer, Solitary Soul is Available at independent bookstores and amazon.com
www.solitarysoul.net
