Alyce Haliday McQueen creates photographs and videos that focus on issues of femininity as defined by our current culture. Her work questions the stereotypes of women and the need for societal standards of beauty, sexuality, and domesticity. Alyce has received various awards for her work, including the Puffin Foundation project completion grant and the G.E.S.S graduate scholarship. Her work has been exhibited in galleries, alternative spaces, and film festivals.

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My current work features cargo freighters in the Los Angeles Harbor. Using a 'distilling process' I concentrate on what is in plain view and attempt to pull out the essence of the subject. While searching for images in the harbor, I was drawn to the worn hulls of the ships that dock there. These ships seem as great whales with battle scars which record their life-long struggle to survive. The ships at dock can be seen every day. However, the visual secrets of the ships are generally not known because of the distance between the ships and the observer. I have concentrated on eliminating this distance to reveal their beauty. In developing this 'distilling process,' I have been influenced by artists of the 20th century. The differing planes of analytical cubism come to mind when viewing some of the photographs. Many other photographs may be reminiscent of the bold and powerful paintings of the abstract expressionists of the 1950's and 1960's. I use composition, color, texture, depth, and detail to illuminate the subject, to remove all other distractions, and invite contemplation.

View more of Gil Mares' work