Just Beyond the Edge of Sight

By Melissa Sorell

As long as I remember, I’ve been mesmerized by patterns. As I relaxed my mind I’d see faces and shapes in inanimate objects. In fact, I would practice closing my eyes and simply doodle without thought. Opening my eyes, I’d allow my subconscious mind  to  draw details, transforming random lines, shapes, and surfaces into familiar objects.

This fascination and ability to see familiar forms in patterns have transformed my photographic work.

Ever since my father gave me his 1971 Nikon camera with manual lens at the age of ten, I began taking photos of people and places we visited.  Later in my life I’ve focused my work on the natural world, pursuing beauty and meaning in subjects unseen to the casual eye.

Subconscious :

I’m interested in creating opportunities for the viewer to use his or her stored memories and inner emotional connections.  I like my work to be psychologically and emotionally engaging where people can tap into their own subconscious.

After I take my photos I like to deconstruct them by manipulating and turning them into different angles.

Pareidolia:

With the use of my macro lens, giving me a deeper sense of dimension to my work, I’ve accessed hidden worlds, abstract landscapes and the phenomenon of Pareidolia which Leonardo da Vinci describes, writing that; “if you look at any walls spotted with various stains or with a mixture of different kinds of stones and want to invent some scene you will be able to see in it a resemblance to various different landscapes, figures in quick movement, strange expressions of faces.”

And So it begins: I also enjoy sketching and painting from aspects of my work, using shapes as my guidelines I can bring my vision to life.

I hope you will look at this work and discover something new in yourself.