Artist Blog: Boyd Webb

(Posted in May from saved draft)

Boyd Webb is an artist who uses large scale cibachromes (which are now known as Ilfochromes thanks to Ilford) in which his subjects and their environments are in the midst of an absurd occurrence. Webb was born in New Zealand in the 1940's, and after he turned 25 in 1972, he traveled to London to study at the Royal Collage of Art. Some of his exhibitions include the Hirschhorn Museum in 1990, Whitechapel Art Gallery in London in 1978 and 1987, and the Auckland Art Gallery touring exhibition in 1997. He now lives in Brighton, England but continues to travel.

Coxswain, Boyd Webb, 63x75 inches, Archival Digital C Print, framed. http://www.artnet.com/artist/17598/boyd-webb.html

Another student suggested I look into Boyd Webb's work, and actually I remember him from my first Studio class at VCU. It was nice revisiting these images knowing what I know now. When I think back to that class when I was first introduced to his work, I liked it a lot and was very intrigued, but I couldn't really understand why. And my teacher (ahem) wasn't very good at speaking about him either, so that didn't help.

Bedding II, Boyd Webb, 63x75 inches, Archival Digital C Print, framed. http://www.artnet.com/artist/17598/boyd-webb.html

While I really like his work and find it relevant to my own, I feel like I'm trying to move away from this simplistic studio aesthetic. I want to have elements of domestic spaces in my photographs and added layers as well. I'd like to get back into doing studio work eventually, but not for this series.

Either way, I'm fascinated by his work and his utter control over his sets.

Tosser II, Boyd Webb, 63x75 inches, Archival Digital C Print, framed. http://www.artnet.com/artist/17598/boyd-webb.html

Without realizing, I see now that the three images I chose to share of his were all celestial/astronomical in style, which is actually what I've been working with lately with my own shoots (which I will show at mid-crit!). I probably also chose these because I tend to choose the most fantastical and whimsical images of my favored artists. So sue me.

http://www.suecrockford.com/artists/biography.asp?aid=15

http://www.artnet.com/artist/17598/boyd-webb.html