photograph by David Wright

The types of weather in which you’ve chosen to photograph make visibility and clarity very difficult, which in a sense I think lends an air of mystery to the photographs. What was your interest in the idea of visibility in making these pictures?

My captain jokes that if someone said, “You’re done lobstering for the rest of your life,” that he would call it good and give them a kiss on the cheek. There are romantic notions about lobstering and being on the ocean, and I’d be lying if I said they were not true, but the work is very physically and emotionally demanding.

Sometimes you have a clear mind and others your thoughts are like thick fog. There’s a video component to the photographs, a short film I made while taking the ferry from Vinalhaven to Rockland on a day so foggy you could not see 20 feet in front of the boat. An artist friend who previously lobstered came to the exhibition, watched the video, and said, “I have no idea where I am now.” It’s how I feel while sometimes on the water.

The weather has a very large impact on your psyche, and I wanted to explore this idea. We feel warm, comfortable, and peaceful during sunsets and sunrises, and lost, unsure, and uncomfortable when we’re in fog.

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The text above is taken from an interview of David Wright by Stanley at the Great Leap Sideways. To see the entire Sky Above, Sea Below series visit David’s website . The work can be viewed in person and purchased at Asymmetrick Arts in Rockland.