torch songs
Torch Songs is a series of photographs I started, initially as a valentine to be donated to the Valentine for AIDS annual fundraiser in Boise. My challenge of creating a valentine was clouded by my cynical attitudes of the sentimental holiday. My pessimism of the valentine as a artificial gesture of affection to be sold and consumed; laden with all the expectations of love and romance, that may never be realized. These images were inspired by standard love songs and the sultry divas who sang them. Julie London, Peggy Lee and Dusty Springfield. These photographs recall the misty, soft-focus staging of the lounge-music album cover art of the 50s and 60s. These images were often more about the sensual mood promised by the ingénue than the individual star’s identity. Like the album covers, my photographs allow for the glamour of a projected fantasy but are tainted by sadness.
