RWKC 5566 Kattie Wachendorf 10-10

Every individual keeps a mysterious side and every person is entitled to his or her secrets. Robert WK Clark has captured that message in this artistic Flower Series, which features Kattie Wachendorf as the model and was created last October 2010.  This image is one of Clark’s darker offerings in the Flower Series. Looking at this piece, one would have an impression of a foreboding nighttime. The model is presumably on her knees. The only visible parts of Wachendorf’s body are a bit of her back side, her buttocks, her left outer thigh and a portion of her left calf. The backdrop of her silhouette is simply black, to heighten the effect of foreboding and mystery. Parallel and propped on her left leg is a solitary rose with green leaves, stem tinged in red, and a blue flower. Color contrasts are not a big part of this work as Clark has fully employed the use of blues, blacks, and violets. Even though lighting was minimal, Clark's effect of the photograph in a way that accentuates the female form, which is a favorite subject.

This piece is an interpretation of night, a time when secrets and mysteries abound. Wachendorf’s crouching position suggests that she is not open to ideas at this time and even though she is not surrounded by a bed of flowers (as compared with Clark's other work), the blue rose is enough to convey the message: Every individual at times is entitled to secrecy and every person has another side that he or she does manifest to the world. It does not necessarily mean that the individual does not want to reveal his or her mysterious side; rather it means that other people may wish to get to know that enigmatic individual but may have to dig deeper to get to know such a mysterious person. Another meaning for a blue rose is getting to know another person may also lead to new opportunities and possibilities. This particular Robert WK Clark work is a simple yet moving interpretation of art. One may delight in its beauty and, at the same time, be captivated by the mystical and perplexing theme of such artistry.

© Robert WK Clark