Cloister the Mews by Natalie Obermaier

Issue 42

I am obsessed with unveiling.

I find my muse behind the mystery of youth. I approach this muse cautiously, like an anthropologist lost, but hunting, in a suburban backyard with a snaking hose and retreating black dog. I place my subject into the light and then direct by not directing. My method is more of a witnessing-- my technique more of an intuition. If my Hasselblad is conspicuous, spontaneity is lost and the image becomes crafted. Instead I stand waiting for the genius in them that shows me that essence of innocence. I am collecting flashes of vulnerability that reveal in us a relation to a child who, unknowingly, understands all we seek to discover. I ask of them only to be children.

Living in Los Angeles has imbued in me the idea that every patch of sunlight can be a stage. The characters, though, have to be chosen carefully, and while my casting process is instinctual, I connect to them via place and my faith that the story will come. The overabundant sun tortures one who wants clouds for depth and tone, subtlety and threat. But grass will grow between the cracks in a sunblasted sidewalk. If I’m lucky, if I’m ready, if my intuition serves me – then I unveil its truths.

Natalie Obermaier is a Venice, CA based artist.
To view more of Natalie's work, please visit her website.