Eddie M. "Fat" Coco Jr. and Antonio "Small" Coco, Transylvania, Louisiana 1 - 2000

Deborah Luster made this photograph of Eddie M. "Fat" Coco Jr. and Antonio "Small" Coco, in Transylvania, Louisiana, using the wet plate collodion process. Think about that for a minute, the actual alchemy of creating an image, instead of just pointing and shooting. There's something so solid and present about these two young men, almost like a classical statue, yet they are totally modern in their stance and expression. The artist is present as well. You get the feeling that Luster is bearing witness, not just taking a picture. It makes me wonder what she was thinking at the moment she released the shutter? For an artist like Luster, and for painters as well, there's a way that the work we do is never really finished. Each piece is a step in an ongoing, timeless conversation with other artists who came before us. We make offerings and pose questions, embracing the ambiguity and uncertainty of art.