found still lives

andre breton wrote, " the image is the pure creation of the mind. it cannot be born from a comparison but from a juxtaposition of two more or less distant realities. the more the relationship between the two juxtaposed realities is distant and true, the stronger the image will be-the greater its emotional power."
















the juxtaposition of disparate objects and realities became one of the cornerstones of the surrealist aesthetic.
i have been photographing haphazard juxtapositions on the streets of l a and elsewhere for years. surrealism blends seamlessly back into realism when discarded objects carry with them some of their symbolic meanings into the trash heap.
i think the shoes in the sink picture is the best example of this, especially as it rests serenely free of plumbing next to a telephone pole.
the stilleto boot strung up on the gate chain is amazing on its own, without being painted. you will have to believe me that i found it that way and did not alter the scene.
the balanced chairs remind me of aging and tattered ballet dancers performing one last graceful lift, expressing a sad love at the end of their time.
these are oil paintings on chunks of beam that i found at a construction site near my house.
cubes approximately 5"x5"x5".