Got a call from Katherine Mark in December reqeusting to use one of the photos I had taken of her a couple of years ago…

She was writing an essay in a class project she was doing at Weatherford College for continuing education. It’s really cool to see a kid you have shot since elementary school grow up and do so well in every endevor they choose. She’s definitely one who pursues the two sword path as one. She shared her words with me, and I’m sharing them with you:

Inquiry of “The Art of…” Girl

It has been said many times over that a picture is worth a thousand words. But why is that? It seems to be because a person can read or infer a photo many different ways. An image is not moving, so one cannot see how an event in a photo actually plays out. An image is like an introduction to a story that is waiting for its body and conclusion to be written by its analyzer. This image by Joe Duty holds a very revealing message. Look closely at the girl. She seems like a silent mime of balanced color and odd style. She stands assertively, in the center of the viewer’s gaze. Her hand draws attention to something important, herself, disclosing a timeless revelation.

To fully understand what the girl is saying, the image must be taken apart, as if doing some kind of investigation. Repetitive themes might be of much significance, such as the frequent occurrence of green and gold paint splattered all over the canvas, the girl’s body, and her face. Also, everything in the photo seems to be messy and wild, but the vivid colors add balance. And, many things are singular; one backdrop, one girl, one hand, and one paintbrush,. Many of these repetitions seem out of place with normal portraits. Most portraits display a person, usually reserved, being portrayed in a subdued landscape. Here, this girl defies the tranquil norm. The splattered green and yellow paint, which happens to match her athletic uniform, scream, rather than state subtly, her team spirit. But, the warm and vivid yellow is complimented against the cool and serene green, which in turn brings harmony to the photo’s feral appearance. The girl’s messy hair, body, and backdrop declare her presence, but her hair conceals and her eyes reveal parts of a mystery. The singular objects of the photo, from the backdrop to the hand, grow closer and closer to the viewer. The yellow hand and paintbrush, located in the very central point of the photo and the last of the singular objects, becomes the final statement and puzzle for the viewer to decipher.

More can be discovered of what this colorful mime is saying by looking into other detailed aspects. For example, the girl communicates strength and power through her stance, wild appearance and surroundings. Her posture and smile illustrate her confidence and vigor. But, just as similar details help to understand what she is saying, binary oppositions also do this as well. For example, the girl is holding a paintbrush and is surrounded by a canvas and paint, but a lack of necessary evidence reveals that she is not a painter, which creates an anomaly. Looking into the photo, there is not an easel, but only the extended canvas in the background. She is also not wearing any other attire or holding any other tools, like a paint tray, an artist might use. On the contrary, her attire, a slim-fitting uniform, and her physique and muscle tone are athletic. With this, it can be concluded that she is actually an athlete and everything else is metaphoric of something. The paintbrush must be symbolic of the girl’s expression; a figurative tool that states she holds the power to express herself through her talents, and the canvas an allegorical world in which she leaves her mark of expression.

Overall, the girl appears strong, powerful, confident, vigorous, and the picture, as a whole, is balanced, mysterious, and disguises an enduring piece of wisdom. A few of the thousand words this picture might imply are feminism, competitor, and artist. But, a much deeper concept contained within the depths of this stagnant image is discipline and creativity. The girl, a runner by trade, must discipline herself to maintain a high level of talent, but she must also be creative in the way she carries herself to prevent her training from degrading into a chore, or duty, absent of flare. Steve Prefontaine, a renowned runner in the 1970s, once described his passion this way:

Some people create with words or with music or with a brush and paints. I like to make something beautiful when I run. I like to make people stop and say, “I’ve never seen anyone run like that before.” It’s more than just a race, it’s a style. It’s doing something better than anyone else. It’s being creative.

The way Prefontaine described his passion, as a sort of art to make something beautiful, was the inspiration of this photo. How does the author know this? The girl in the photo is the author. The photographer, Joe Duty, took photos of many young students, athletes, and musicians, who qualified for state level competitions, with the theme “The Art of…” to express each young person’s passion for their talent. But, an image is capable of portraying messages far beyond what the subject, photographer, or artist ever intended. The revelation this girl wants the viewer to discover is that a balanced life takes discipline and creativity. With only discipline, life is tedious and draining; and with only creativity, life is unrealistic and a fantasy. But, when the two are in equal accord, they conceive a well-composed lifestyle.