St. Gabriel, Louisiana 30 - 1999

Deborah Luster made "St. Gabriel, Louisiana", a small, sepia-toned photograph using the tintype process. The image, which looks like it comes from another century, shows a man with a lawnmower, and I can imagine Deborah carefully coating the metal plate, exposing it just right, coaxing the image out of the chemistry. It’s amazing how the older photographic processes, like painting, involve working with your hands and being open to chance. The dark background seems to float, almost like an abstract painting! With photography, Luster explores the tradition of portraiture, much like painters have done for centuries. What was she thinking when she made this? I see this man—his posture, his gaze—and it feels so dignified. There's a kind of conversation happening, like a dance between her vision, the subject, and this old way of making photographs. And that, my friends, is how art gets made—through conversation, across time, inspiring each other to see and feel.