textural touchstones

In the process of developing the symphony in steel series, I subconsciously became attracted to subjects that embodied severe tactile elements - a rusting fire hydrant with corroding nuts and bolts, an abandoned railway car with peeling paint, the front grill of a tractor banded by ribbed mesh. These textures were so fundamental to the subject that they seemed to upstage the subject itself and in effect became the exclusive subject of my photographs. Once I recognized this trend, I purposefully set out to capture and emphasize texture as a subject ... and the textural touchstones series was born. In my quest, I strove to preserve the three-dimensional character of the surfaces hoping to entice the viewer to interact with the image. I will have achieved my objective if the viewer feels compelled to touch, hold, or even lick the photograph. (Actual licking, while not recommended, is reserved solely for those viewers who have already purchased.)