Michael Stimola’s exhibition at the Field Gallery, running through Sept. 10, inspires us to see and think about the world around us in fresh ways. The Vineyard serves as his muse for both the striking cyanotypes and captivating large-scale infrared photographs. Both explorations originate from the same source. Stimola explains, “I’ve been photographing the Island for more than two decades, and have always sought ways to make highly personalized photographs that capture its unique beauty, grand landscapes, and ocean vistas, as well as more intimate settings and subjects.”
Nature, chemistry, intention, and happenstance play a part in Stimola’s abstract “Cyanotype Water Marks” series. He starts by coating thick watercolor paper with a chemical solution of iron salts, which creates a vibrant Prussian blue when exposed to UV light. Stimola then stores the sensitized papers in a lightproof bag until he reaches an Island shoreline, where he carefully places one at the water’s edge. When exposed to light, the blue begins to emerge, interacting with elements in the pond or seawater, as well as shell fragments, seaweed, sand, sediment, and other materials that he introduces to produce unique images.
Stimola explains, “Exposure continues until I’m satisfied with the cumulative outcome of these dynamic, unpredictable interactions. The final prints reveal classic cyanotype Prussian blue, embellished with colors and textures produced by the sunlight, water, and the other elements with which they have been made.”
Unlike traditional photography, where the image remains fixed, the iron-salt chemistry continues to react to UV light. As a result, depending on where the work is hung or stored, subtle changes can happen to the paper, colors, and physical elements on the surface of the prints, and salt, sand, sediment, seaweed, and algae may shed from the surface.
The resulting images are gloriously varied. You can virtually sense the natural currents ebb and flow over the paper, pushing the cyanotype solution about in “Drawbridge Beach, Vineyard Haven.” Sediment has settled randomly on the lower half, forming a crusty, golden texture that surrounds a light blue archipelago. Stimola formed the arc by sprinkling shell fragments onto the paper, and their solidity prevented the sunlight from turning the paper dark blue. However, the details of the technique fade away when we step back to look at the print, whose beauty sparks the imagination. We might be looking down at Earth from the moon, or simply standing at the shoreline, watching the water swirl at our feet.
“Tashmoo East Jetty, Vineyard Haven” could be the cosmos, with stars in the upper left, created by the scattered sediment. “Lagoon Pond Town Beach, Oak Bluffs” seems to plunge us underwater, with a large snail-like form moving from left to right across the paper’s expanse. The beauty of all the prints is that each of us can see something different in Stimola’s organic compositions.
“For me,” he says, “these prints are an intriguing analogue of the natural processes involved in creating and altering the Island coastline and ponds we enjoy and often take for granted. My involvement in their production, like all human interactions with the natural environment, leaves a mark as well.”
Stimola picks up his camera and looks through the lens for his infrared photographs, a technology that alters a black-and-white image into one with startling contrasts. Blacks appear darker, and whites seem to pop. Seeking new ways to capture his cherished home, Stimola transformed a digital camera to record infrared light, which humans usually cannot see.
Familiar views appear dramatically different, because each material reflects or absorbs infrared light to various extents. The scene in “Duarte’s Pond, West Tisbury” seems to either rush toward us or recede into the distance. While the location might be familiar, we’ve never seen a view like this. At first glance, the trees appear to be snow-covered, but a closer look shows they are bursting with leaves, the pond’s surface is dotted with lily pads, and the feathered edges of the clouds seem to fly in all directions.
Stimola explains that different materials reflect or absorb infrared light to varying degrees. The green leaves look bright white because the chlorophyll inside them is relatively transparent to infrared radiation, and their internal structure is highly reflective. The darker trees have evergreen leaves that do not reflect light as intensely. But what about the clouds, which lack solidity? They are highly reflective because of their moisture content. And since infrared light penetrates atmospheric haze, it reveals more moisture-laden clouds than we usually see.
“Mill Pond, West Tisbury,” is equally as arresting, with the clouds on both the right and left mirroring the tree-lined shore below. The detailed reflections in the perfectly still pond, doubling everything we see above the waterline, and the repeated symmetry, push the photograph to the verge of abstraction.
Photographed in mid-October, “James Pond, West Tisbury” has no startling whites, as the foliage has lost much of its green. But the dark waters of Vineyard Sound pull our eye back into the distance, where clouds play across the skyline.
Although visually distinct, Stimola’s two art forms inspire us to see our beloved Island from a new perspective and with a fresh eye.
Michael Stimola’s work can be seen at the Field Gallery from August 28 through Sept. 10. Opening August 30, 4 to 6 pm. For more information about Michael Stimola’s work, visit michaelstimolaphotography.com.