Why is it called “still-life”? Is it simply because the objects are motionless? Or is it because the artist is “stilling” life? More than just a snapshot, a freeze-frame of an arrangement, I like to think that the still-life is actually a reflection of the artist in a world where life has stilled to a kind of slow-motion. Simply put, my shifting to still-life photography during the months of the pandemic is a metaphor for a life that has been slowed to a stillness of social isolation and indoor living. It’s a lousy way to live. But being forced to live inside allowed me to be creative, to arrange my subjects, to set my world in order.
Select images from this series may also be viewed on Steve Bennett's Pandemic Lens blog. They were posted in January 2021 under the title The Stilling of Life.
