The New Religion

Religions have existed for as long as humans have organized into communities. They have served as guides to moral living, binders to create social structures, tools to control people, and to explain how the world functions--among a myriad of other uses. For millennia, art has been created to illustrate and honor these religions.

The New Religion series of polylith photographs was created over a twelve year period to depict a fictitious religion. This religion may bear a resemblance to many of the religions of the past: having offerings, misogyny, themes of control, or beliefs in higher beings. The choice of using the polylith process for making the photographs was not haphazard, but was an attempt to follow the Photo-Secessionists, who at the turn of the 19th to 20th century made use of manipulation in producing their photographs. This was to imbue them with meaning beyond the literal image and have them seem more painterly.

These photographs were made with the support of the Polaroid Corporation as part of an Artist Support Grant.

The Explanation of a Polylith Print is Somewhat Technical

Polylith prints are made by using a non-traditional paper developer when developing silver gelatin photo papers to create very soft, low contrast images with reddish-brown colors. The contrast and color are somewhat controllable by the agitation and temperature of the developer. Because of this, each photograph is unique.