Jody Russ

Biography
I was born in Fort Walton Beach, Florida in June of 1975, but I've lived in Toledo, Ohio since I was 3 months old.

I currently am an art student at the University of Toledo. I have been going there since 1993, but took some time off (5 years) to find out what was really important. Since 1998, I have been pouring all of my energy into my artistic interests and studies.

I haven't declared a major yet, but I've been thinking about a double major in Black and White Photography and Computer Graphics with a minor in American History and to also graduate with a BFA.

Statement
I see art as a performance of the artist's soul. My soul sometimes shows itself through a beautiful but defiant child, dream house fish, or portraits that are mere shadows of a dream.

In my "Self Portrait" series, I used infrared black and white film. In my head I am goddess, a creature of shadowy silence, and a dancer to my own insanity's. I have created a new, smooth skinned, light eyed identity. These prints act as a gateway between what is reality and what is fantasy. Can you really believe that what you see is the truth, when in fact many of the negatives have been burnt? The act of burning the negatives has interrupted the crisp outlines of the figure. Though their interruption I have crossed over into a new realm of reality. These portraits are of the artist, but they contradict who you might expect to meet as the artist.

In the "Dream House Fish" series I challenged the notion of beauty. I went to a secluded beach on the Michigan side of Lake Erie and photographed dead fish intermingled with dolls and furniture. When I look at these photographs, I can still smell the water, sand, and rotting fish. The interaction of the dolls with the fish changes the perception that the fish are something to be avoided. The broken doll face portrays humanity in the midst of humility.

In the "Child's Play" series I photographed a young mother and her two children. The idea was to take pictures of her son having a tantrum and how he interacted with his little sister and mother. In most of the pictures he demands the attention of the viewer, by looking straight at the camera, but he also wants the attention of his mother. It's as though you see the story of his daily life through his eyes.

By stretching the boundaries of human consciousness I have reached a deeper dream by uniting mind, body, and soul for each image.

I would like to thank Kim Navarre, Angel Davis, Jill Kinsey, and Eric Smith for their ideas, time and inspiration, in helping me execute this body of work.