In her most recent project, titled Chromatics, innovative artist Barbara Cole has been delving into the past in order to reimagine Color Field Painting. Her modern take on the traditional painting style explores the ways in which the human form can be distorted and transformed when examined through the mediums of water and a camera lens. She places her subjects (typically dancers) in a swimming pool and photographs them from above at a downward angle, creating a flattening effect. Using a Canon digital camera with a slow shutter speed and a slight flash, Cole attempts to capture the interplay between the reflected light as it hits the water's surface and the image of the subject below. In describing her method of combining fine art with photography, Cole says "I rework this canvas with a toolkit that includes clouds, reflections, plastic sheeting, cloth-encased figures as well as aperture, shutter speed and artificial lighting. It is important that I am able to capture these photographic constructions in-camera, creating on site, rather than relying on photographic artifice." The results are hauntingly beautiful. To learn more, go to the Chromatics section on her website.
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