ENTRY DESCRIPTION
My abstract photographs explore the visual dynamics of suspended moments in time; preserving thought provoking documentation of evolving natural occurrences. Reminiscent of non-representational painting they are actually of mud slurry washed down from the hill adjacent to my studio; snow and ice glyphs shaped by the northern wind that sweeps across the surrounding land.

Un-staged and recorded in-camera, these "found" images are gestures in patience and time as I wait for fluctuations in climate to produce what I describe as precious gems... gems with the inherent qualities found in contemporary abstraction... images that exude a sense of joy and mystery,complemented by the essence of nature’s illusive beauty and grace.

Shot insitu using natural light, the water, mud slurry, grains of sand, pebbles, plant debris, snow and ice that make up these images are barely identifiable in small prints while larger ones reveal the complexity of the evolving mixer. Plus constant weather changes induce me to shoot a series of images before the next atmospheric shift creates an opportunity for a new cycle.

The images in each of these Series’ concentrates on the aesthetic beauty of gestural nuances... and I strive to record their transient intangibles before they disappear and present them as images which stand independent of their original subjects.

Except for minor modifications in light contrast or hue the only computer graphics applied to these digital photographs is the occasional erasing of small spots that distract from the visual aesthetics of the setting.

Each Series’ captures an ephemeral world that speaks powerfully to the very nature of existence. They reflect upon something vulnerable and essential about planet earth. My objective is to place the viewer "in" the moment with them.

AUTHOR
Originally from Perth, Australia artist Lee Musgrave studied in Los Angeles primarily with Hans Burkhardt and Fritz Faiss. Hans was studio partner of Arshile Gorky and Mark Tobey. Fritz studied at the Bauhaus with Paul Klee and Wassily Kandinsky. “I am deeply indebted to Hans and Fritz for their unfailing encouragement and enduring friendship,” stated Musgrave. Musgrave specializes in abstract photography and semi-abstract landscape painting.

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