St. Monica Outbuildings With Asphalt, 2020

• Prize
  Silver in Portfolio/Fine Art
• Photographer
  Christopher Paul Brown
• Technical Info
  Canon Eos 5ds, Sigma 35mm Lens, Adobe Photoshop Cs6
• Photo Date
  2020

In the 1950s St. Monica Catholic Parish was created in Carpentersville, Illinois. They purchased an established dairy farm and converted the barns into a church, offices and classrooms. The structures were well made and have been maintained. The asphalt dates from the early 1960s. A large church was built in the early 70s and the need for parking around the temporary church lessened considerably. I quite like the texture of the old and pitted asphalt, as well as the curious style of the former dairy buildings. I layered two and more photographs atop each other and played with the outcomes.

Christopher Paul Brown identifies as an alchemist. He also sees himself as a primitive hunter-gatherer rather than a modern urban agrarian. Relying on serendipity and synchronicity in lieu of elaborate planning, he seeks to uncover the unconscious and dimensions beyond the familiar three. He completed a BA in Film in 1980 and his first solo photography show exhibited in 1985. He describes his approach as Radical Play and he employs polar opposites such as intent/openness and obscure/reveal to allow paradox and invite the flow of alchemical energies while he works.