We're very pleased to introduce the work of one of our team members, Candice Rollerson. If you're in San Francisco, go see her work at 688 Sutter Gallery this month!
Life Constructed: A Journey was her final thesis project at the Academy of Art University and it is near and dear to her heart. Each piece was hand-constructed and shot with a 4x5 large format camera.
Outwardly fearless and strong, I draw upon my beautiful mother as my source of strength. "Be a leader, not a follower" is her mantra embedded within me. The pace for my life's journey is set to the rhythmic chant of empowering maternal love. Her power and lessons woven into the fibers of my being allow me to persevere even when I falter from constant paternal pain.
I am a daughter abandoned, left to battle life armed with only half of the parental guidance needed to traverse common milestones and hardships. Yet, even with dragging that negativity into the portions of life where one must walk alone, I have found my own way. Much of what I have accomplished in life -- traveling, teaching and being an artist -- is the direct result of not allowing the negative emotions to take over. However, I felt the whispers of self-doubt creeping in while experiencing life, love and a career. I responded with isolation and self-sabotage, resulting in missteps and missed opportunities. I reached a point in life where I no longer trusted my decisions but knew I had to figure out how to move forward.
Life Constructed: A Journey examines my decisions and experiences in the hopes of understanding them. In order to emerge from the darkness of negativity, I had to rebuild and see things from a different perspective. The cathartic nature of building the sets and capturing them with a 4x5 camera allowed me to create a safe place where I could take my time to revisit emotions--to feel them again and analyze them. Through this process, I remove the power of the negative thoughts and instead, see value in them. This project reveals pain as knowledge and strength.