Tucked away in the basement of the Denver Art Museum, located just a block away from the Capital and Civic Central Park in Denver, lies an intimate auditorium where conversation about life through an artistic perspective can take root. The cushioned seats and red aesthetic have the capability to immerse the audience in a captivating movie theater setting, one that resonated with where to watch a black and white film.
“My unwavering curiosity is what led me to discover the world. Now I continually try to capture all the crazy images that are being constructed in front of me,” Connor notified the audience.
She saw the world in unconventional means, which allowed her journey through life to be entirely her own. Her inquisitive nature prompted her to travel through Cambodia, India, Thailand, Peru and Nepal, just to name a few. Connor has hopes of discovering what photography may represent in other places. This has led her to host discussions about her work around the U.S, from San Francisco to Chicago.
It allowed her to capture rock formations crashing gracefully against each other. She juxtaposes the effects of how light can construct a picture through photographs of sun exposure on landscape or overexposing her negatives. She made sure to assert her gratitude for both.
“Honestly, I tend to overexpose negatives,” Connor said. “It’s like baking. They come out a little bit raw or extra brown and crispy. You can choose your own adventure.”
The audience didn’t hesitate to give her a smile and a laugh as a way of validating her corky outlook. Then she fiddled with her glasses and brushed her fizzy white curls away from her face. She continued to disregard her notes as she spoke wholeheartedly about her adventures within the world of art
“This speech, like my art. No. Like my life is like a can of worms. It moves in all sorts of random directions,” Connor said.
She gave the audience bits and pieces of how she grew up as a visionary. From a 17-year-old that held a camera for the first time, to now an art professor and photographer, nomad in the summers.
“Visual learners and dyslexics belong in art school, so I have my crazy brain to thank for bringing me here,” Connor mentioned.
She didn’t focus on reading or math during school. The classroom was not conducive to the vivid pictures that swirled in her head. It was not until she came across the San Francisco Art Institute where she found a classroom she finally liked.
Connor continued to grow as an artist by interpreting how to perfectly capture a shot in an unsuspecting position or in a revolutionary manner. As she continued to look in all directions for the perfect shot, she began manipulating pictures herself with collage work.
No glue or extra materials required, instead she would either place a picture on top of one that was already printed or stuff a picture into a shot before it was taken. This ensured that the shot was only hers, unable to be recreated by others since the construction was her thoughts coming alive on their own.
Connor leaves the audience with one final thought, “I have my fair share of negatives. My house is exploding with them. But, only the ones that truly become integral to our history are the ones we resonate with and ultimately remember.”
She wanted to affirm that life could be captured in a variety of means. The world around also developed similarly to the negatives laying around in her house. These moments morph and change based on what we begin to see from them, not always exactly what they are at the face.
“Life is never truly happenstance because each decision will lead you in one direction or another. It exposes you to what you can see but again, it’s whether you’re there to take the picture, literally or physically, that makes the world a magical place”
The MFJS Reporter -- Winter 2020 M-W 