A female figure is interwoven into a stark steel transmission tower. Her legs and arms seem to mimic the geometry of the girders. But her softness and roundness betray any attempt to blend into the power-line deserts-cape. And ultimately her life force dominates her lifeless surroundings. Everything is beautifully lit and integrated into the beautiful serpentine curve of the wires. A curve that is mimicked by the curve of the incredibly detailed clouds in the background. Here is a common theme in Wes’s photography; the juxtaposition of humanity against an industrial infrastructure. The environment is always visually interesting, usually geometric and the models pose tends to mimic the geometry of the scene or act as foil against it.
In the foreground, a female figure kneels in a contorted pose on a dry lake bed bending backwards so that her arms are grabbing her ankles with her head and chest facing upwards as though she is surrendering to the glaring sun. The image is beautifully composed. The model's pose carries the emotion in this image. Her dark form contrasts nicely against the subtleties of her desert backdrop. And the implied exhaustion in her posture accentuates a sense of the dryness in the air and the heat of the sun beating down on her. This image transcends it’s formal beauty and suggests aspects of the human condition; Human fragility...Our place in the world.
Another common Wes photo idea. Here the female figure is shown curled up in a sort of relaxed fetal position atop a pile of jagged boulders. This image is beautifully composed. The boulders are stacked and situated so that the eye is brought to the edges of the image and then back to the center. The boulders are very tactile. As much attention has be paid to the surface of the boulders as has been paid to the spaces in between them. The model's shape reflects the shape of the boulders but her soft lines and smooth skin contrast sharply with the environment. There is a tension between her humanity and the stoneness of the background. Again I am reminded of the fragility of humanity juxtaposed against the hard and unforgiving environment. But at the same time the rocks seem to cradle her like an infant, almost nurturing. If this photo were a character in a movie we would call it Multi-Dimensional. Many of Wes’s photos are like this, truthful in their Ambiguity.
I have worked with Wes on a number of different projects. I’ve never known anyone who can do the depth of research on a particular subject and then retain all the information the way that Wes can. But Wes also has what I think is the key ingredient to making something interesting. I would hesitate to define it too narrowly. He does have an unusual way of seeing things. I’m sure this is due in part to his high functioning Autism and the fact that he’s not the product of the BFA system which gives him an outsider’s perspective. Inspiration that leads to something cool works differently for different people. But a common thread seems to be, for lack of a better word “abnormality”. I would apply that label to myself as well. Wes has a way of coming at a subject from an angle that always surprises me. That’s interesting. It’s one thing to create. But it’s better to create something interesting.