JESSE DRAXLER

JESSE DRAXLER: GALLERY

ARTIST ANALYSIS

The image above is a photograph by poly-dimensional artist Jesse Draxler, created in 2018 as part of the 200-page book ‘Misophonia’. In general, Draxler’s work spans from paintings and collage typography and photography. Draxler grew up in rural Wisconsin, born in January 5th, 1981, and worked for his family’s automobile repair service growing up. His thesis was on the commodification of subculture through the lens of punk rock, and he was diagnosed with red-green colour deficiency, both of which likely influenced the black and white, surrealist nature of the majority of his photos, especially the one shown above.

My instant reaction to the image is wonder, and to some extent unease; the surreal nature of the compiled faces evokes an uncomfortable sensation at the slight disconnect from what we consider normal or commonplace. That slight disjunction simultaneously evokes a sense of what is almost morbid curiosity; it is almost as if it serves to play upon the fact that we are interested by what we find confusing or unnerving. For me, it evokes a sense of worry and unease, but also a sense of wonder at the images.

The image is of a face, but as a compilation of various faces at different angles to create an amalgamated variant of a face. In regards to materials used, it is essentially just different images compiled together. In terms of techniques, high contrast and low aperture are both likely to have been implemented in the taking of the photos that are within the final image. Influences are most likely in aesthetic – inspired by both the rock and roll thesis and the people he may have encountered working in the automobile industry in rural America.

The image is black and white, primarily to enhance the morbid curiosity evoked by the image with a bleak dynamic. The shapes present are curved and flowing, almost adding a dreamlike quality to the images. The lines are smooth, enhancing the effect. The textures are brittle and grainy, providing a fragile aspect to the images, which is further enhanced by the patterned shadows and highlights that almost seem to interchange across the images.

The focus of the image is the face, which serves to draw in the interest of the viewer. The light seems to illuminate various facets of the face, but in a disjointed way. There is a range of tones that enhances a sense of dreamlike undulations initiated by the shapes, as detailed above.

In terms of message, Draxler’s work inspires a sense of the hidden nature of people and their own ‘composition’; what a human mind consists of, and how that comes into play in their actions and words, and thus by extension how that defines us. If I were to ask the artist a question, I would ask them how they got where they are; while my assumptions for his inspirations are founded, they are not confirmed, and I would be interested as to his true motivations. I personally enjoy the work of the artist, hence my choosing of his work; I find the effect of the work captivating, and will endeavour to incorporate this in my work.

PHOTOSHOOT PLAN

This photoshoot plan is for a photoshoot in the style of Jesse Draxler; I have created this in order to compress the preparation required for the photoshoot and to ensure the photos are taken with the optimum setting and in the optimum environment.

For my photoshoot I intend to take photos with a high ISO to replicate the grainy effect on the work of Draxler, and to use a mixture of black and white backgrounds to experiment with both low key and high key lighting. I am going to create the photoshoot at home, where I can easily set up the background.

The photoshoot will link to the artist due to compositional and thematic similarities present in the photos taken.

CONTACT SHEET

Overall, the photoshoot was successful, and turned out as though, if compiled into a single image, would create something in the style of Jesse Draxler. In contrast with artists on the previous unit, the photoshoot plan was very helpful in regards to set up, resulting in a technical and compositional improvement from previous photoshoots. When I did my photoshoot, I in fact changed very little, though I ended up using harsher lighting to light the subject upon reflecting on his work and noticing a higher contrast than what I had first assessed.

The crosses on the contact sheets indicate the photos I was least pleased, and the circles are the ones I am most pleased with. The most successful images are the ones with the face angled towards the light, with the hair not obscuring the face: they are most malleable for my first set of edits, and can be used in the most examples. My first development would be to crop and then make some black and white - a basic first step to allow for future development.

Initial Edits

These are initial edits in the style of Jesse Draxler - they are compositions of various faces at different angles and were created through the implementing of layer masks, which were selected with either the quick selection tool or drawing with the lasso tool. Alternatively, I duplicated the selected layer and enlarged it, to create a further unease that is prevalent among Draxler's work.

Ultimately, I did this to the pictures in order to develop a further similarity in thematic links and style with the work of Draxler; they invoke the same sense of awkwardness at the disjunction between various aspects of the face. Within these edits, I developed some by using either the burn or dodge tool to improve the respective background; the results were mixed, because whilst they were cleaner, they felt too distracting, especially the white one. As a result, for my next edits I will use a grey background that is cleaner initial; with any luck it will result in marginal editing being required.

To develop further, I will improve first upon the initial photographing process, and perhaps begin a transition into a more physical medium. So far, I think these edits are not as good as that of the artist, primarily because they seem rough and untampered in their quality.

Highlighting Success

These are my favourite edits out of my initial edits in the style of Jesse Draxler. My primary reason why these are my favourite is their composition; they create the most optimal combination of a facial structure and a surrealist disconnect that creates a sense of unease and awkwardness, which Draxler implements to evoke a subsequent curiosity within the viewer.

My primary issue with these is the background; in each instance it undermines the quality of the image, albeit for different reasons; this is my main issue that I intend to fix in my next edits in tandem with further developments.

My favourite of the four is probably the third - it has the most interesting composition, but still clearly resembles some sort of face. It creates an image that inspires interest and curiosity within the audience.

Second Photoshoot: Contact Sheets

Once again, this photoshoot went alright, and the photos required were taken - my only problem here was a lack of noticeable variety between the images. Once again, the crosses indicate the unsuccessful images - the ones either with a lower quality or a considerable amount of hair obscuring the face - and the circles outline the ones most likely to be used in editing. The photoshoot plan was again helpful in taking the photos. Were I to do it again, I would make more variation, or take more time crafting fewer, higher quality compositions that would make the final work of a higher quality.

Second Developments

These are my second developments in the style of Jesse Draxler, using the second photoshoot detailed above. The primary initiative implemented in these edits is to expand into his similar work rather than remaining within the same style.

In order to create the floating head edits I used the lasso tool to draw around the required areas, or the magic wand tool to select a general area, then duplicated that area to create an individual layer. I did this multiple times, and then deleted the background image, adding a white background.

The other edits were created in various ways, with the third on the middle row being made by using the magic wand tool to select the body, making a layer mask, putting a white background behind, and painting the layer black, having selected and duplicated the visible area prior to doing so.

In all edits I used the refine edge tool, with which I increased the smoothness and contrast to the maximum, allowing for clean cuts in the style of Draxler. I also used the drop shadow tool, to create the illusion of the layers being physically upon one another.

For my next development, I will create 3D renditions of similar edits, all the while improving the quality of the work in general; development in this unit so far has made more sense to me, especially regarding the necessity to show development within your own understanding in tandem with the development of the work's quality, which I focused on entirely throughout the majority of Fantastic and Strange.

Second Developments: Highlighting Success

These are the edits I consider most successful out of the first development, due to the way in which they clearly represent the core themes present in Draxler's work whilst maintaining a level of individuality that distinguishes them. The use of the drop shadow tool on these edits is most successful, creating a clear and deceptively physical boundary between such layers.

Third Developments

These are my third developments in the style of Draxler, and focuses on the 3D aspect that I mentioned exploring in regards to the previous set. I created these in order to further my own understanding of the artist, and created them through the compiling of various images in real life, and then photographing them.

To expand further upon this process, I began with using a pencil to draw a circle around the parts of the image that I wanted to cut out, then did so using a scalpel. I then used both the cut-out fragment and the remaining image to create compositions that mimicked his work, with a white background behind for any gaps. The primary benefit of doing the entire process in 3D was that I could make multiple compositions of a relatively small amount of 'pieces', as well as that it allowed for shadows and a more refined edge that was added digitally in previous developments.

They continue to maintain a clear link to the artist and develop upon my previous work in tandem with my understanding. The 3D element serves to emphasise and enhance the disconnect and unease present in the photo, to a much greater extent than in the, although successful, clearly digital compilation of various pieces of face - it makes the uncomfortable creation seem more real, evoking a more immense sense of curiosity and expanding upon Draxler's work.

As to why I returned to compositions more similar to my first developments, I did it due to it working best with the medium: as displayed there are two photos that are more like the second development, but they worked less well, with others like them becoming rapidly repetitive and boring without using a great many different cut-outs, which I had neither enough ink nor card for, limiting my ability. However, I think they came out less well anyway, so little sleep will be lost over such an inability.

To improve upon them further I would use a tripod to take the photos of the compilations; some are blurrier than others, with the blurriest being discarded. I would also print out the photos on A3 instead of A4, to allow for a more detailed set of cut-outs - they ended up being a lot smaller than I predicted, which resulted in arguably simplistic designs, although again I am still pleased with the ultimate outcome.

Third Developments: Highlighting Success

These are the edits out of the set that I am most pleased with, as I believe they show the closest, and best, link to a development in the understanding of Draxler's work. I was particularly fond of the edits that had prominent areas of white, or only slight alterations to the face - edits 1 & 4 in particular seem to me to be somewhat reminiscent of the sculpting of replacement facial features of disfigured bodies following WW1, adding further to a sense of confusion and unease that are key elements across all of Draxler's work. The staring eyes are also interesting in my opinion, again enhancing such an uncomfortable set of images to witness.