Grape Nuts Dune #7 by Ernie Button

Ernie Button

Currently residing in: Phoenix, AZ

Website: http://www.erniebutton.com/

Work Statement:
Photography has undeniably changed the way I see the world; how I look at individuals, places, or objects. When looking through the camera, it allows me to view the world in a completely different way, focusing on form and detail that I wouldn't normally see. Although my subject matter varies, my images focus on the individual nature of objects and the unique qualities that each possesses. My images often examine objects in isolation providing a voice to the quiet, the ignored and the often overlooked.

Regarding this body of work: When I was a child, cereal was a luxury item. A brand name cereal was a rarity as they were consistently more expensive. Something like King Vitamin (a popular 70s cereal) or Cap'n Crunch made for pure breakfast heaven. Looking at the cereal aisle today, it's clear that breakfast cereal has changed. The cereal aisle has become a cornucopia of colors with marshmallows that resemble people and objects and characters from movies. It's apparent that cereal is not just for breakfast anymore; it's playtime. In keeping with the playtime theme, I began to construct landscapes that would utilize the natural earth tones of certain cereals. I placed enlarged photographs of actual Arizona skies (e.g. sunsets or monsoon clouds) in the background of the cereal landscapes giving the final image an odd sense of reality. Other cereals that were more vibrantly colored or made to resemble people and objects were calling out to be the center of attention.

Bio:
I am based in Phoenix, Arizona. Except for a few community college classes in photography, I am self-taught. Highlights of my photography career have included:
HCP Fellowship Grant, honorary mention 2006 (Houston Center for Photography)
Artist Project Grant (Arizona Commission on the Arts)
Artists Career Development Grant (Phoenix Commission on the Arts).

Recent exhibits have included work shown at:
Bentley Projects (Phoenix, Arizona)
George Billis Gallery ( Los Angeles, California)
Houston Center for Photography (Houston, Texas)
SF Camerawork, (San Francisco, California)
Anchorage Museum of History and Art (Anchorage Alaska)