Alternative Worlds: The Figure in Time

by hankinslawrenceimages | May 31, 2019 | Uncategorized

As many of you know, my husband Bill Lawrence is also a photographer. He primarily works with figure models, often photographing with an 8X10 View Camera. His work is usually printed using historic photographic printing processes. BIll has his first solo show of his photography coming up in June. I wanted to share information about his show and to invite you to the opening reception if you are in the DC area.

Bill’s show Alternative Worlds: The Figure in Time will be on exhibit at Artists & Makers Studios I, 11810 Parklawn Drive, Rockville, Maryland from June 7 – 27. The opening reception will be on Friday June 7 from 6 – 9 PM. Bill will also be giving an artist’s talk on Saturday June 15 at 11 AM at Artists & Makers. We’d love to see you if you are in the area.

Bill Lawrence looks at the human form through the lens of photographic processes over time, incorporating historic and modern approaches together to provide a view of the figure from modern and vintage perspectives.  In Alternative Worlds: The Figure in Time, he uses “alternative” photographic approaches and historic inspirations to give a timeless feel to his figurative work of the female nude.  Lawrence uses mid-nineteenth century process of wet-plate collodion tintypes to provide a unique look at the figure, from a modern approach to 1920’s nudes inspired by Alfred Cheney Johnston’s photos of the Ziegfeld Follies dancers to the nudes inspired by Edgar Allan Poe and the late 19th century Victorian-era graveyard statuary.  Kallitype prints done in a “rustic” fashion complement a series of nudes in natural settings, adding a vintage feel to the project reminiscent of the Pictorialists of the turn of the 20th century.

Alternative Worlds includes three distinct but related projects, including:

Dreams in Silver: The Body in Time is a set of nudes on tintype inspired by Alfred Cheney Johnston’s 1920’s nudes of the Ziegfeld Follies dancers.   The series reflects the combination of old and new; Lawrence uses an 1850’s process for a 1920’s style of photography with modern lighting and 21st century women as subjects.  He strived to create an atmosphere to the work that is abstracted from any point in time, hopefully giving a timeless feel to the work, at times edging into the whimsical realm.  

The Weeping Angels is a figure work project on tintype inspired by graveyard statuary, most notably the incredible serene visage of the Clover Adams Memorial (a.k.a. “Grief”) in Rock Creek Park Cemetery.  Through this work Lawrence conveys a sense of the grace of the human spirit, living life in the face of knowing that grief and loss come to us all; we still see beauty while the angels weep.

Figures in the Forest is a series of figurative nudes in natural settings emphasizing the interaction between the human form and nature.  Through his approach to the photography and the use of palladium-toned kallitypes printed in a “rustic” fashion, Lawrence creates a romantic atmosphere inspired by the early Pictorialist photographers.

For those of you who don’t know Bill – here’s a little bit of info about him

William “Bill” Lawrence is a photographer who had a chance encounter with studio lighting through which he found a passion for photographing the human form that is the current focus of his art.  He photographs using digital cameras or using large format cameras with wet-plate collodion and instant film, depending on the mood he is trying to create. With his interest in alternative and historic photographic processes, Bill can frequently be found in his dark room preparing wet-plates or preparing paper for contact printing kallitypes.  His goal is to use a combination of modern and vintage photographic processes to provide an experience that emphasizes the contemplative possibilities of photography.

Most of Bill’s formal education around photography was early in life and centered on technical aspects.  Around the turn of the millennium, he started to see the artistic possibilities of photography, and through self-study and through working with other artists, he developed his vision for his work.  Artists that inspire Bill range from Oscar Rejlander to Mark Sink. Bill’s current work can be seen on his Instagram blog at @Lawrencesview. He lives in Bethesda, MD, where his wife and four cats are becoming increasingly concerned by the expanding collection of photographic chemicals in their spare bathroom.