Ariel
Wilson

Spot, heal.

In Spot, Heal., I amplify imperfections within my photographs that I ordinarily go to great lengths to conceal. I reveal the gestural lines and dots of editing out pushpin holes and paint blemishes from white walls behind curling pieces of white paper. The Spot Healing Brush in Photoshop makes quick work of the historical process of spotting, removing unwanted dust or detritus from an image. Efficient as this process has become for contemporary photographers, I am still not sure which is faster: patching the drywall or spotting an image. I find myself doing more of the latter. Within these pieces, I physically separate my corrections from the original image by layering prints on transparency film and paper. I consider how I interpret transparency and void within a photograph. In some cases, the added marks block the image beyond and cast small shadows upon it. In others, they become openings in the print, giving access to the flawed parts of the image behind. Originally intended to 'clean up' the images, the editing gestures are transformed to contradict my original impulse and offer me a freeing alternative to my learned desire for austerity and purity.