Lewis Rogers
Artist Statement
“Art is a representation of Being.”
Over the course of making each series I work to push my visual art away from the more traditional emphasis on aesthetics. In this 21st century post-modern age, I believe critical thinking and self-discovery are more important, as we all change with experience and in response to changing times and philosophies. My goal is to invite everyone to decide for themselves what each of my pieces means. As they do, hopefully they will contemplate the unique ways in which they see the world and how their own memories work, knowing themselves better in the process. After all, my interpretation of my work is but one of many, and all of them are valid. I enjoy helping people figure out who they are. I hope my visual art will help them do that.
Visual Memories 1975 ~ 1983
Visual Memories is the compilation of my work in the photo-sequential, polyptych, and conceptual styles. It covers Becky and I starting out as newlyweds in Washington D.C. and reflects how photography’s shift toward self-expression in Contemporary Art Photography impacted me as an artist.
Retinal Memories 1989 ~ 2010
This series focuses on time, space, composition and memory, the intersection of which fascinates me. I notice that as I examine the world around me that my eyes meander from one point of interest to another, taking a spontaneous, unbridled route through the scene. At least my eyes do that. Others' might as well. I love capturing not only this wild way of seeing but also figuring out what I’ll actually try to remember seeing. As memory deconstructs a scene, time and space overlap, distilling the experience down to its meaningful essence and eliminating the excess. I illustrate this process through works consisting of one or more photographs.
Simulacra 2013 ~ 2015
This Abstract Expressionist work follows all the great masters that came before me in the Formalist style.