After I spoke with the host of the event about the amazing work that Eugene does, she asked if the next time he was in town I could introduce them so that she could meet with him and see if he could do a photo session with her for professional portraits or headshots for her business. The next morning I contacted Eugene to let him know, and in the process I realized that I had never written about him as an Artist and Photographer. I've written about him in these pages before as a Designer and Artist who has been a constant inspiration to me, but I had never written a post focusing on his work as a Photographer, and I had not written at all about his work as an Artist and Sculptor. So to remedy that I'll try to write something here and now, though I must admit it's very hard to write about someone with such diverse talents. The truth of it is that Eugene can and does do everything he sets his mind to with such skill that it can be daunting for the rest of us because he makes things look easy that are not easy at all. He works so hard when he sets his mind to learn something new, and his drive and due diligence insure that whatever he touches and turns his hands to prospers. I've know him as an Interior Designer who time and time again created the most stunning homes, a Mentor who introduces people to others who can help further their artistic vision and who helps to guide that vision forward, and a friend whose advice I've treasured and who has helped me grow creatively and personally over the years. I have also known him as a Photographer who has created some of the most beautiful photographs that I have ever seen, and who because of his creative vision has taken some photographs of me that will forever be favorites and that gave me a new way of seeing myself that no one had ever done before. For years the headshots I have used and my personal author photos have been photographs that he has taken, including the profile photo I use for this blog. And over the years I have seen his sketches, his paintings and his sculptures, each time being impressed with the beauty, unique vision, and skill that went into their creation.
When I asked him about his inspirations, he said that as a photographer some influences were Helmut Newton and Cecil Beaton, and that his sculptural influences are Cubism, Brutalism, and Cycladic Art. He has a history of more than 15 years of working as a photographer and he has worked with nearly every modeling agency, developing new talent and working within the fashion industry. In his own words, his approach is "paired down, minimalist and more about the model" with the standard model uniform being jeans and a white t-shirt, and his process is to "shoot very fast," to maintain spontaneity because he "doesn’t like long drawn out shoots where everyone gets tired and the concept gets 'overworked'." He describes how he is always "searching for light and texture," and that he has a "preference for black and white and 'sculpting the frame' with the subject." For his sculptures, in an echo of his description of his photographic work, he says that it's a "fast process, again do not 'overwork'. Life is full of faults, having them in your art is only natural," and he adds that he has "always been obsessed with the concept of Pareidolia," a scientific phenomenon that can often cause people to see faces in objects or to assign human characteristics to everyday objects, and "that's why faces tend to emerge from the sculptures." To my own mind, I feel again that this is the deep sensitivity of the Artist who can see into the spirit of not only the people he works with but also their surroundings, as well as divining the essence of the wood and water and trees and stones of our every day life.
It is a rare individual who can do so many things and do them all so well, and it is equally rare to find someone who is driven by a sense of artistic creation and not by personal gain or fame. As he describes his work as a Photographer and Sculptor, "both art forms are more about the expression of an emotion or an
idea rather than an expression of commerce," and in all of the years I have known him, I can say that this is true. His vision is one of searching for light and beauty, for finding the unique character within the faces of the people and the spaces and places he photographs, and for discovering the humanity within them and uncovering and reflecting that humanity and character into and out of the sculptures and works of art he creates.
The Photography and Sculpture
Of Eugene Galles
Photographs Courtesy Of Eugene Galles
Blessings,
Jannie Susan
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