Emulsion & More Metaphysical Transference

“My story starts on a small island in Greece, my ‘patrida’ (homeland) and, if truth be told, the fact that I have now lived in the US almost as long as I lived in Greece is something I have trouble reckoning with. Why? Because every cell of my being is still there, in Greece, and this will never change. On some deep level and at all times, as well, I feel I am somehow betraying my heritage by being, living . . . elsewhere.”—Chiara-Sophia Coyle

Clicks & Relativity

By Chiara-Sophia Coyle

SONOMA California—(Hubris)—January 2024—If you have followed me on Hubris, you probably know that I am persistently attracted to abstract photography and drawn towards the abstract in rust, “my” Greek blue, reflections, and sometimes floral subjects. Abstraction, and bold colors. The light. Why, you may wonder?  What does all this mean to me? I feel a vulnerable share may be coming up here . . .

My story starts on a small island in Greece, my “patrida” (homeland) and, if truth be told, the fact that I have now lived in the US almost as long as I lived in Greece is something I have trouble reckoning with. Why? Because every cell of my being is still there, in Greece, and this will never change. On some deep level and at all times, as well, I feel I am somehow betraying my heritage by being, living . . . elsewhere.

When I moved to the US, a photographic process known as “emulsion transfers” enabled me to work in my kitchen with Kodak slides taken in Greece, transferring my images onto various porous surfaces, and thus keeping close the relationship, the memories, the heartbeat of home. My focus shifted to chasing reflections on water, just another way to keep it all breathing, alive; exploring a dream of light and that familiar hue of blue, endlessly. Growing up, I also saw rust, in all its visual diversity, on a daily basis, accompanied by regular tetanus shots. (If you’re running around, a barefoot child on a Greek island, rust permeates your environment and it’s a given that you’ll end up with all kinds of unwelcome rusty encounters.)

Eventually, my journey led me to focus on themes of water, reflections, and rust even in my new environment, in America.

An image of a reflection on a body of water anywhere unquestionably takes me back to what fed my soul as a child, and still does. Light, dreams, hope and, at the end of the day, a perfect juxtaposition.

An abstract image of a rusty detail on a truck takes on a life of its own and, all of a sudden, summons up a field of barley, reminding me of my mother and the relationship she had with the land. She is with me still, and I find ways, in whatever landscape, to honor her and all she taught me.

In my images, I share my very own and personal interpretation of what I see.

If you are curious about my body of work, I invite you to visit my online gallery, the site finally launched earlier this winter. It has taken me a very, very long time “to put my art out there,” as they say, but I’m so glad finally to have taken this step. Please let me know if you are interested in any of my prints: there is a Hubris discount. Above all, I just want to invite you to view my images through your own eyes, to see how this work might speak to you, wherever you find yourself.