Knowledge of the Raw

de David Seltzer, Eric Fischl

Knowledge of the raw' is a selection of photographs that Seltzer has taken over the course of his life in an almost diary like style. Often graphic, personal, up close; the images deal with issues and questions that pass through the conscious or subconscious mind, if only fleetingly. Seltzer's work is more stream of consciousness than documentary. More often than not, years may pass before Seltzer "finishes" an image. With the passage of time comes a fresher, and frequently more complicated perspective of what the initial "shot" may have brought to mind. At this point, an image that may have lain dormant for years is triggered back to life by a passing memory, dream, sound, smell, or the patter of rain falling on a city street. When the image is again brought to the top of the "active" pile, the image is reworked in order to incorporate its newly found perspective. This reworking consists of scratching, writing, etching the negative itself, or using a variety of media applied to the print; hand applied toners, paint, ink, wine, coffee, pencils, charcoal.