Rob Carter's photographs play with senses of perception. Transfixing horizontal lines of colour, like rock strata or layers of the atmosphere, give the illusion of a moving image, as if taken from the side window of a driving vehicle. They are in fact stills, taken using a revolving-lens camera that stretch the 'moment' both literally - in that the camera shutter is held open - and visually, as the details of the subject blur out horizontally.
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“I love the painterly quality of light when colours run into each other on a photographic image.” His works have been compared to Rothko's in the sense of getting lost within the melting tones and 'meditating upon them over and over'
Carter's experimental nature focuses on the act of capturing light onto film in the first instance. No post production takes place and each print is hand printed onto Cibachrome paper from the original transparency. Its the unpredictable nature of his artistic method is always fascinating to Carter.
“The randomness of taking long exposure photographs means you're never quite sure how they are going to come out which makes collecting the processed film very exciting."
Moments of clarity are occasionally revealed within the abstract composition, seen with stunning effect in the landscape Travelling Still, Westonbirt Arboretum II, England, 2007. This mysterious technique is especially effective in Carter's night time cityscapes. Travelling Still, Las Vegas, Loose and Slots (Artist's Proof), 2005 vividly captures the excitement of the bright light, big city atmosphere. As the Mecca of neon light it is unsurprising that Carter cites Vegas as the ‘perfect’ destination to produce a series of work.
Rob Carter has been a fine art photographer since 1993. He also very well known and respected as one half of the ‘Rob & Nick Carter’ duo who were described as ‘the next big thing’ by The Sunday Times. Celebrated for their experimental techniques of 'painting with light' they have not proved the paper wrong with Elton John, David and Victoria Beckham and Matthew Williamson amongst many big collectors of their work.
The artist has taken many years building the ongoing series beginning within the UK then moving on to international destinations including Spain, Shanghai, Holland, Tokyo, Portugal and Barbados. Several have won prestigious awards including, ‘Travelling Still Brighton Beach’ & 'Sugar Sugar Beach, Barbados', which won bronze and silver medals respectively with the Royal Photographic Society.