Bonita & Estero Magazine

In the Artist’s Own Words

- BY ROBERT HEIER

Whenever I travel abroad, I am simply captivated and in awe. I am truly in wonderland. My photograph­ic images, done in both traditiona­l as well as vastly different contempora­ry modes, are merely an attempt to recall, recapture and reconstruc­t the joy I have had while traveling.

Over the past 25 years or so, these travels have consisted mainly of exploring and haunting the haunted and obscure backstreet­s of small towns and villages throughout Western Europe and Latin America, in search of what I call “fallen angels.” These once-proud and beautiful buildings and streets, now forgotten and forlorn,

occupy what is to me an unforgetta­ble oblivion.

Their classic and majestic lines from the glorious past, in combinatio­n with the peeling stucco and weathered paint of a grim present, create a special magic. Despite the ravages of time, these “fallen angels” retain their ageless dignity and continue to radiate an engaging mystery, serenity and spirituali­ty.

In an effort to capture the wonder of these subjects, I pr ocess my photos digitally using the latest computer techniques and equipment. My enhancemen­ts are then done in one of two ways. One way is traditiona­l, in effect a romanticiz­ed

portrayal of the original subject matter. The other approach is definitely abstract or contempora­ry … [many of ] the original subjects are virtually unrecogniz­able, replaced by images perhaps even more thought-provoking and timeless than the actual subjects.

In either case, the process of enhancemen­t and image conversion can take up to several days per image. The results are then printed using special archival paper and pigmented inks in a way designed to convey the timeless grace of the original scenes in either a romantic or contempora­ry way.

Just this year, I was quite humbled to be given a four-page spread in Internatio­nal

Masters of Photograph­y, a coffee-table compendium by practition­ers from more than 50 countries. And recently I was honored to be invited by Architectu­ral Digest magazine to participat­e in its exclusive Home Design Show, held annually at Pier 94 in New York City.

I have appeared with my work on TV and have been featured in a number of publicatio­ns, including élan magazine and SPACES magazine as part of an awardwinni­ng design by Savant Design Group.

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