Many people have asked me where this picture was taken; it actually doesn’t matter now, as the windmill is no longer standing. But for many years, it was a favorite spot and, indeed, one of the inspirations for the “Isolation” series that would follow it.
But it stands as its own image as well, and has worked so well in both color and black & white; in winter and spring; looking south and looking west; in photograph and photogravure. All the same subject. Here are three photographic depictions that really capture the moods the windmill can have.
In composing the photogravure prints, I envisioned an isolated placement on the page or in the frame. This means you really have to lean forward to see the windmill, you have to surrender yourself to the scene.
In this 16 x 20 framed example, I’ve added letterpress type to the page to begin imagining the look & feel of the 10 x 15 book pages.
But there is still so much room I have for emotional expression, even given a single angle and season.
Here, for example, are a B&W photo and two different photogravure plates and prints I’ve made based on it: one low-key, with heavy blacks and relatively neutral color; the other, high-key and slightly warm.
And I am sure this image will continue to evolve. The diptych at the top is the current planned image for the book (split across the book’s center gutter). But we’ll have to see what actually ends up there…
