"... the picture that emerges is unique, never before made and never to be repeated.”     Aaron Siskind

Portraits are human interest stories. They are at once windows and mirrors. They are timeless and they are novel. In creating them, the goal is to create images that speak for themselves. The private space of the artist and their personal environment become something entirely new. The subject becomes a formal object on a sheet. The form and shape become self contained, existing in time and space... an essence, a symbol, an image in a frame.

Portraying artists has been my focus for many years. Who hasn’t wondered about the creator while examining a piece of art? My questions about who created "this art" propelled me to first seek out artists and provide an answer to the question. The photographic series that has materialized as a result of this motivation is both reinforcing and refreshing.

I make photographs simply because I must. I find purpose and meaning in the experience, the process and the production of the photograph. I have been photographing artists in the city of Detroit for many years and cannot imagine ever not doing it.

Donita Simpson
2013