Caleb Charland

Brewer, United States

About the Artist:
Growing up in rural Maine, Charland spent much of his childhood helping his father remodel their family homes. These experiences instilled an awareness of the potential for the creative use of materials and the ability to fabricate his visions. Charland graduated in 2004 with a BFA in photography from the Massachusetts College of Art, Boston, and now lives and works in Maine.

Caleb uses traditional black and white photographic processes with a 4" x 5" view camera using various sources of light such as clamp lights or flashes. His subjects demand hours of concentration as he studies and arranges the objects to a perfected composition. The resulting work is intended to evoke and interpret the wonder in the everyday as he transforms mundane objects into contemplative compositions. “Helping my dad build and remodel our houses, learning to use tools and materials, gave me a confidence in my ability to create." Charland, who has epilepsy, has recently incorporated references to his disability within the photographs. "Epilepsy can be an existence in a fragile state of balance. My work reflects this fragility as objects are set against the forces of the world."

Artist's Statement
"Cube with Ruler and Penlight": A cube appears by tracing lines of perspective on the surface of a table with a penlight.

"Fifteen Hours": Candles were once commonly used to keep track of time. In this image a candle is left to burn for an hour, then moved laterally through the frame each hour until it has completely evaporates. (The fist exposure was taken just after being lit.)

"Four Spheres with Compass, Penlight and Drill": Four spheres of light are formed with a compass and a penlight over the course of 85 exposures. Each line of light is a sepaate exposure.