Clara DeWeese

Image © Clara DeWeese

Artist Statement

My work, like plenty of others before me, is about love first and foremost. But it is also about lust, elation, fear, loss, anxiety, and the pain of wanting children but being afraid that the next generation won't have access to drinking water. It's about not knowing how rent will be paid next month and sleeping with someone you shouldn't be sleeping with. It's about waiting for the snow to melt. It's about finally finding a lover who respects you and cares for you and cherishing every moment you spend together. It's about walking away from your excruciating abundance of obligations and swimming in the river with your best friend. My work is about valuing moments of togetherness. It's about leisure, that spacious place where friendships bloom and social masks fall. It's here where personal trust and kindness are born. My work is about my life, but it's also about your life.

My photographs are glimpses into the experiences of people attempting to maintain hope in a world that seems to be tearing itself apart. They are reminders of the beauty and the hardships of living. They allow you to stand still for a moment, to pause and recall emotions that everyone in the world encounters. I hope not to emphasize the individuality of the subject and their narrative, but to highlight the universality of vulnerability and human expression that we can all relate to.

Clara DeWeese | Bozeman, MT