RWKC 7694 Colleen Welch 6-09

The Abandoned Series is one of Robert WK Clark’s lonelier collections. This collection comprises of photographs portraying tastefully nude and clothed women engaged in activity in various vacated locations. The featured photograph, shows Colleen the model by the entrance of an abandoned shack and facing the light. Clark had worked on this particular piece June of 2009 in New Mexico.  This photo is typical of Clark’s works, nude women in various backdrops. In this case, Colleen’s arms are outstretched and reaching the door jambs. The foreground shows a colorful shack in near disrepair: tiles breaking off, paint peeling from the walls, and wooden members crumbling and falling to the ground. It indicates that the shack was once a lively and well-maintained place, but is now abandoned. It was as if a storm had passed through and there is no hope of bringing the shack back to its original state. This work shows a warmer side of Clark, that colors can still brighten up an environment that is in a state of turmoil. This piece harbors hope.

The image tells people that amid the storm, amid the turmoil, there is a chance for recovery or a chance for change or escape. Colleen’s position shows the latter. The model’s actions indicate that she wants flight and flee the destruction that surrounds her. She is awaiting help or simply looking out and contemplating her position. She can leave the place and come back to restore the place, or she can leave forever. This certain piece presents choices: the choice to come back and repair the damage or the choice to move on and forget the past. Another way of looking at this frame is that the light is infinite and the light can inspire one to search for a better life and a better environment. Robert WK Clark’s artistic work is a study of order among chaos. The artistic elements are balanced despite the obvious disarray manifested in this piece. Like any of Clark work, this one is a visual feast.

© Robert WK Clark