Dale Sparage

“Portraits of Women” is an ongoing expanding project that investigates a new generation of women and girls.  By delving into our sexual and psychological selves I seek to understand the power of the media to mold our identities.  Pornography, plastic surgery, fashion, and sex all extend into our everyday life. 

The Internet, film, T.V. and music are the models we use to create and recreate our ever-changing persona.  The portraits are planned out and executed like a performance in which the models are cast much like actors.  Props and clothing are chosen with care allowing me to control many aspects in the studio setting.  After which I am free to explore emotional responses and thepersonalities of the models.

The manikin series focuses on issues of reality and illusion.  The lifelike quality of the manikins and dolls present characters that are frozen in time jarring memories or associations that the viewer can interpret from their personal experience.

The newest series Girls in Wonderland is titled after Alice in Wonderland, with the idea of photographing young girls as they make their way from girlhood to adolescence.  I’m interested in the changes that occur as girls experience this very private transition within the public realm. I’m fascinated by the choices they make ,caught between trying to hold onto their authentic voice and the pressure of a culture forcing them to conform.

About the process…  each print is printed from an original   film negative.

Whether the print is digitally printed or printed in the dark room all work  is printed personally by me.  Each image is printed in an edition of five prints ONLY, and are numbered and stamped on the back.  ALL materials are archival, the digital prints are printed on archival paper with lightfast archival pigments.  The color and black and white prints are printed on double weight fiber base paper.  Each work is matted with 100% acid free museum qualityboard.