The experience of art has always been visceral for me.  I take it in through my gut.  When I respond to an environment, it is through my eyes, my skin, my ears, my nose, my feet, my history and whatever that other sense is that we sometimes use in the world, and then through the lens of my camera or my brush.  When I distill images from the visual information around me, they are reflections of internal states as much as external ones. 
 
I feel that the more we (learn to) resonate with the beauty in the world around us, the more our own beauty is engaged, and that what we choose to focus on has so much more impact on us than we realize.  I hope that my images stimulate that dynamic, causing a sense of calm or the recognition of beauty that originates from within.  If they inspire one to see an aspect of the world in a new way, even better. 
 
Lately I have been drawn to water and glass.   I am exploring transparency and reflection, giving my attention to objects and substances that both transmit and reflect light and color.   As I write this, I am drawing a parallel – that this is also a characteristic of human beings, as we all have the capacity to both transmit and reflect light and energy.  While I have been spending quite a lot of time with people as I work on portraits, this exchange of energy and reflection of light and color is occurring – sometimes visible, sometimes palpable, sometimes transparent. 

While creating images that capture the purity, the essence of cool, clean flowing water – something so many have never seen, much less submerged themselves into – I am very aware of the issues of scarcity, compromised quality and competition over water as a resource in general.  These remain under the surface, inspiring me further to convey the restorative quality that I experience from water – visually, physically, emotionally, spiritually. Not only is it absolutely necessary for life, water provides solace to many of us who travel to be near it as a source of calm and inspiration.  Living in the mountains, I sometimes forget how strong an impact wild nature can have on those who live in urban areas, and conversely the profound dysphoria its relative absence can effect.  When I lived in New York City, I thrived on the smallest injection of nature's healing energy.  If my images impart a little of that to even one person, I have accomplished a great deal. 
 

Honor Woodard – 2 November, 2007 
 
 

"Art attracts us only by what it reveals of our most secret self."   ~Jean-Luc Godard