Lori A Hansen
Photo Art
A Collection of Surrealist Visions. Inspired by Endless Possibilities.
Reality and Surrealism
Did you ever wake up from a dream where you sort of remember the dream, but nothing is clear except a few scattered fragments? This thought inspired me to translate them into my artwork. When you look at my work, I hope you see a mixture of reality and surrealism that welcomes you to explore your own imagination.
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My Creative Process
I create my work by taking photographs of nature and common everyday sites and objects. Then by using these images, I delicately cut out parts of the photograph in different shapes and sizes, some are mounted to generate different heights to give it a different perception. Then I place them on a background to create a world of illusion and fantasy.
Enjoy!
Lori
Love and Inspiration
There have been three loves in my life, which have been consistent since I was a kid. Nature, animals, and photography.
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I grew up in a rural area of Western New York, where I was surrounded by nothing but nature. Lucky for me. It was there, that I attended a trade school during my last two years of high school. I took a class in graphic communications. Loved it! Great teacher, great class! This was when my curiosity and interest in the photographic world began.
Early Photography Experience
When I realized that there was so much to explore about photography, I wanted to explore it further, so I worked in darkrooms and photo studios from San Francisco to New York City. This included printing black and white photos for a local newspaper to printing color murals in New York City. I learned different photographic processes, techniques, tips, and tricks and met many interesting characters along the way! And now, who remembers film, enlargers, easels, trays, print tongs, safelights, timers, processors, and the smell of chemistry? It all seems like relics from the past, that now, only a few of us are familiar with.
Exploring Digital Photography
After custom photo labs were being replaced by digital photography, I was at first reluctant about digital photography versus traditional photography, so I went to work for advertising agencies, and what a different environment that was! I worked in production departments, which suited me just fine, as I could leverage some of my previous experience, and knowledge of color, light, contrast, cropping, composition, for ads, using new technologies which just amazed me after working in darkrooms for so long. Even so, here I was, still with my camera from high school, which required film. I liked working in the advertising field, but I miss the darkrooms, always will, and in fact, I still dream that I’m printing.
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Then I received a digital camera as a gift. Well, that changed my attitude towards the digital world. I knew I had to embrace this modern technology. I had to give it a try, and it was clearly time for me to reluctantly embrace this new era. And now I am so happy that I did. I am still learning all the many different features and adjustments available to me on my camera and on my computer. It is especially gratifying when I can print my own photos, instantly, in the light. Who would have thought?
Currently I live in Stamford, Connecticut with my partner of forty years, and our two cats Cooper and Quentin. In my spare time, I enjoy gardening, designing flower beds, and building stone walls with all the stones that I dig up. I have become quite a mason.
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Lori