Comments on

ROBERT DAIGNEAULT'S WORK

Some of the images that are mentioned in the following are not on these
web pages. They were part of an exhibit called "The Passing of Shadows"
shown at the Art-In-Guelph Gallery...
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Dream- I dreamt I was at a garage sale. I found a box full of old photo albums. I didn't bring my glasses so what I saw was slightly blurry. I told the vender I couldn't see the photos properly so she handed me a box of old eye glasses. I tried a pair on that brought the photos into focus, but, the glasses were dirty with scratches on them. An amazing thing happened! When I looked at the photos through the eye glasses, parts of the photo I was looking at would be in focus and other parts would show a decayed texture. This means if I was looking at someone's face, parts of the face would be in focus and other parts of the face would show this decayed texture. This worked for all the photos, buildings, group shots, pets, scenery, etc.

Anonymous sent me this email, I find it very moving......I travel on my own, and I keep occupied by drawing. I am in this strange place because I reject a lot of what I see as popular values. I really haven't a clue about the meaning of life, nor do I expect any rewards for living an honest loving life. It seems the raw experience is enough for me. Illusions of personal importance or being "seen" by others as a "success" has always seemed laughable to me. I have no children, nor existing parents, I have no "love object" and I exist comfortably. I make no excuses and feel no dedication to making this world better. In my prior existence, I was very committed and hard working for the betterment of this planet, now after many years the world is more polluted and being run by assholes like Bush. So, for me it's personal experiences and inward growth. My only prayer is that I don't fall in love again. Anonymous

665- The people that lived in this area had been moved because of an oncoming storm. Their houses and belongings had been washed away except for a few things left behind on the beach. The man in the photo came back to visit the site were these people had lived. Marg Tirpkoff

All- I thought you might like this statement. ... The main difference is that, whereas photography still claims some sort of objectivity, digital imaging remains an overtly fictional process. As a practice known to be nothing but fabrication, digitization abandons even the rhetoric of truth that has been such an important part of photography's cultural success. As the name suggests, digital processes actually return the production of photographic images to the whim of the creative hand (to the digits). For that reason, digital images are actually closer in spirit to art and fiction than they are to documentation and fact. Otto

629- The Human Condition- always trying to improve ourselves, (climbing stairs) but eventually arriving at a dead end.......... 654- Submerge Yourself- Don't fight against nature- nature is where we have come from to find peace within yourself, make peace with nature (no poisons on the stupid lawn!)

John Sommer- Gallery House Sol

The most difficult art is that of infinite, which launches itself and risks itself, wandering on the path that it itself invents and that never returns to itself, whose leap is sustained only by its restlessness, exposed, exploring unceasingly another fragment of the earth, going forward without profit or help, always at the stage of being born, cheerful, in turmoil, tormented, twisted, torturing, emanating from the body's roots like birds taking flight all around the leaves of a tree.

All- You talked earlier about chance. I thought you might like this statement. ... In relating photographic chance to the idea that photographs can be found objects, unpremeditated slices of the world, the found object becomes the lost object regained, found objects are found precisely because they are unconsciously looked for. Otto

All- I have 2 short questions. (1?) I'm an artist and I always give my work titles. When people look at my work the title gives them something to talk about or maybe it helps them understand the work. Why don't you give your work titles... On my web page you'll see...... "Send me your comments. Include the number of the image and write a few words about it. It can be a story, poem, criticism, whatever you like."...... If I titled my work people would write about the title and not the image. I like it when a comment makes me- see, think, argue, contemplate, reflect, take in a new view, or says something I can't imagine. Here's an example- I have a photomontage that is to me totally negative. To my surprise, I've received a couple of emails that found the montage a positive experience. I guess you could say I'm working in reverse because- it's not me explaining the meaning of my work, it's you. As far as I'm concerned, what you say about my work is far more interesting because I already know what I'm thinking...... so for now I don't want to come out of the closet.................. (2?) Do you find computer art gimmicky?... I think I've answered this earlier but I'll have another go at it. I'm not the Ann Landers of computer art problems. Over one hundred years ago, a number of European writers described the spontaneous art done by patients in mental hospitals. This seemingly irrepressible urge to make art out of any available materials confirms the compelling power of artistic expression to reveal our inner experience. I think the computer can help to free up our anxieties around the idea of making art and experience new ways of doing it. The requirements for participation are no longer based on skills, education, technique, experience, age, gender, race or religion. If you can afford to buy a computer, the software, a camera, you're in business......It's wonderful walking around taking photos with the idea that subject matter is everywhere and you don't need to spend hours drawing each subject you find. It's just click and you're on to your next subject. Keep all your experiences in this image box and when you get home, open it and remember what you saw or felt or imagined...... This is what I believe- The pressures and demands of an expected result must go. We need to re-enter the present by the simple act of being spontaneous. Intuition guides us. Trusting the flow that comes naturally is the magic of creation. The hidden, the mysterious, the sacred from within are revealed. Old patterns break. The natural movement of creation becomes part of our life. Passion sets in...... To answer your question- "Do you find computer art gimmicky?" I guess I would say that's up to you.

All- I'm sure your photos begin with reality, but uses reality as a point of departure, operating beyond the conscious, in a process turning reality into dream images.... Love your work! Roy

Dream Portrait- I'm standing on a rock overlooking a large lake. I'm looking at the horizon line- the water is calm, the clouds are all black along the horizon line. At some point the clouds start to lift and the sun breaks through like a big ball of fire. Out of the centre of the sun comes about a 100 little boats speeding toward me. Diana

All- I have a question about your work. Are your photomontages a new idea because of the computer or an old idea because photomontages were being done over a 100 years ago? Is there a new idea in your work I'm missing? Otto. ..... Hi Otto, It seems to me that the preoccupation of many artists is the invention of new forms or schools of art. Art must constantly change and reinvent itself or it is considered pointless or dead. The way I look at it is- if I feel something it doesn't matter if the style is new or old. Take lovemaking- its been going on since the beginning of time. We take part in it because we feel something from it. Imagine if someone said- you can't make love anymore because you're expressing yourself in a dead style- you must invent something new. If that was to happen, love making would be in the same mess a lot of art is in. Maybe a kiss is just a kiss!

Bob: will comment on other apparitional montages. For starters:

#629: This is a photograph of dream ascending a staircase. An apparition is there. I

can not see him. Neither can you. But I sense an emanation going up those

short steps to the landing. But once on the landing there is a wall but no

exit or entrance to that landing. It begs the question: is the viewer to

press his mind against that wall and hope it will open into another domain

where the staircase continues to climb? What is disturbing in the

photograph in sepia is that it demands the order of symmetry. Nothing is

out of place and there is a stark simplicity in the sameness, like

Daigneault intended, perhaps unintentionally ---or intentionally----to

demand of the viewer's eye and intellect to walk up those steps and once

having reached the landing to touch the wall and feel other presences

asking the same questions on the other side of that wall. I think a dreamer

shot this photograph and he is on the other side.

#654: A man has just drowned. What we see is his apparition. His ectoplasm

is bald. The drowning happened at a lake. The drowning man is facing a rippling body of water and it is evening. But is it evening or is it eternity? This drowning victim refuses to turn around. Perhaps he has no face? Does it really matter? He is a

ghost now. Does that matter? Perhaps he enjoys his ethereal state. It can

be boring to be so dully corporeal---another person on the beach facing

eternity. I think I know the identity of that man. He lives on my street,

or he used to. The water welcomes him back into realm. I think the bald man

has just drowned. Joe Rosenblatt

ALL- Do you call your work art? C. R. ---- Hi, C. R. you're back! ---- No I don't call my work art. I call what I do- an experiment or something like that. It's too hard dealing with all those art experts out there. From age 10 onward the art experts have told me- you're an artist, you're not an artist. The art experts have asked questions- will your art last the test of time? Will the art experts let you have a show? Will your art sell? Will the art experts give you a grant? Is your art important to the art community? Etc. Art will always be connected closely and intimately with those who are in the know and have the power and bucks to prove it. The artist job is making collectibles and decorations for wealthy people. It's always been that way. ---- By the fragility that was always there, it really doesn't matter that an old monk put together insects and the Annunciation all in one panel. ---- Freedom of expression. ---- The meaning is in the eye of the beholder.

622- I was having a pleasant time on the internet when one of your images came up. Image 622 hit me hard. It was the reflection of a woman in a window walking away that completely ruined my day. A short time ago the love of my life left me. The last memory I have of her is her reflection in a restaurant window walking away never to be seen again. Your woman in the window looks exactly like her. Would you mind telling me where you took this photo? G. A.

662- I love 662- I enjoyed viewing all your work on the

Art in Guelph page, but 662 stood out to me. I am a

musician. I don't have immediate plans for releasing

an album right now, but when I do I would love to use

662 as an album cover. I also would like a print of it

if that's possible. How much do these go for? I am

unsigned right now, and living in Niagara on the Lake.

I'm 21. I play some very inspirational, melodic songs.

Your image would be wonderful for the front of my

album. If I release one independently, or

commercially, I would love the honour of having your

art grace my art.

Let me know what you think. Take care. JOEL. v. V.

663- I'm sorry. My last email in regards to your work, I

said I loved 662 to bits, but I really love 663 and

want it for my CD cover. I think I'm going to begin

production for my CD soon. I've decided to release one

I think. Let me know if I can use your art as my

cover. The CD will be entitled "Eleven on Coach Dr."

and has eleven songs that have brought me to the place

I am now. Your art "663" really captures an emotion

that I think a lot of the songs for this album exude. I

think the combination of looking at 663 and

hearing some of my tunes will well a spring of passion

in the listener. Please let me know.

Take care. JOEL v. V.

ALL- love your work. I was looking at some of your work on-line and I really like it. I am moving back to Guelph and buying a house and would like some pieces for my new home. Please contact me with samples and pricing. Pete

Why do you do photomontage, what's in it for you? C. R.

.....Why- I like going on photo walks to find subject matter. The trouble is, the best photos go by me so fast I miss them, or I see something marvellous when I'm in a car speeding by or I'm standing in front of one great shot without a camera. I have no idea what I'm going to photograph. It's more fun that way. Putting the montage together can be very free and spontaneous or slow. Some I've worked on- are never finished. I work with no preconceived idea... The problem with photomontage is you see it everywhere because of digital technology. There is so much transformed imagery around- in art, movies, advertising etc. Most people don't look because there's just too much. They're suffering from many many visual hangovers- never mind looking for a hidden meaning in some small photomontage... The camera is a great gathering tool for found objects and the nice thing is you leave things alone without disturbing them... Check this out! The first photographer to become known for the artistic use of combination printing was the Swedish artist Oscar Gustave Rejlander (1813-75). Trained as a painter he turned to photography and became well known for pictures using both double exposure and combination printing... Beware, when the fever strikes, it hits you hard and there's no going back. You may never be able to look at anything again without thinking of a way to incorporate it into something else... I'm aiming toward a mode of impossible vision or visual mazes or puzzles which intrigue the eye, that captures not things but light from reflecting surfaces that fade in and out like ground fog.

ALL- Freedom of imagination - everything is allowed - figurative and abstract at the same time - shapes and textures existing in some form of harmony - political, social, ethical and other motives can be used, but only as forms of delirium - it is normal to share ideas with others, but solitude and isolation is what I feel from your work. A. B.

616- It looks like a dike, solarized, a reversed image. Tree reflections have been moved to the centre pool. I like the idea of the partition. It's like a canal. I see a river or maybe a flooded road. The reflections are transparent- you can see right through them. There are two levels of dichotomy that seem like Heaven and Hell. Maybe that's too pretentious. I especially like the canal shape. You could be a control freak. The more I look at this print- I take it back- you are a control freak...

654- This head is very sublime looking off into the ocean. I feel there are many art references. The strongest reference is the German romantic visionary painters. The Painter Friedrich comes to mind...

Gareth Lichty, Leeds, England.

ALL- Your photomontages feel to me like the Inner Landscape that reflects the dreams that express our lives, the dreams that create our lives. Rachael Numidia, Sault Ste Marie. Ont.

ALL- I was really impressed with your photographs, they were like nothing I've ever seen, very singular. You have a very unique ability to use technology (like Photoshop) to create very natural, organic looking images. I think that's very rare these days; people are so obsessed with art without any content, and it creates very self-aware imagery. Your photographs have none of that. C.C.

665 - Man walking on the beach, child's doll in the foreground with 5
child's building blocks. A striking image. Perhaps he is walking away
from childhood memories, the building blocks of his youth no longer as
stable as they once were and yet he also seems to be walking toward his
future, the uneven maze of lines in the sand like the path of his life.
For all our memories past and present this image resonates with my
vision and with my heart. - a fantastic exhibit.
Carly Nishimura...


616 - I've passed through this gallery in early summer and the curator
told me that there were some photography exhibits in September. So here
I am. I've viewed your work and find your images a pleasure to look at.
Number 616 caught my eye because of the reflection in the water. I can
relate to this in a fish story some years ago. Your works brings out
some memories of the past for me. Your exhibit shows constant uniformity
among each print with a constant colour for each print. Great work and keep it up.
Wayne Hicks, Corner Brook, NFLD...


ALL - About 7 of these have an immediate appeal. The rest are a "mystery"
to this artistic ignoramus.
Don E...


616 - A Tranquil Oasis.
665 - Abandonment.
610 - Angel Wings Behind...



624 - The Ice Storm- The sole person is walking afraid of sliding off the
road because of ice and falling branches...


610 - Marriage- is an innocent- a naive- the young girl shows this
illusion, while the older woman represents the reality of life...


612 - I'm very drawn to the architectural presence in this work-
particularly the door and its apparent reflection into the water/ road/
flood/ sea.? Can I step out of this door and "walk on water"?



663 - Also- This is sheer beauty- "just born"? Very impressive!!
Annette Dyon...


656 - Stuck, waiting for the release of the one I love.


629 - Climbing only to get so far before descending and returning to
earth for all of time.- Great Work- Moving.
David Kasha...


665 - Doll lying still on beach doing isometrics and grinning at
molecules as dad #2 version 2.1 walks away, never forgetting ...


616 - A perfect scene, nature at its silent, crisp, raw beauty. I can
smell the fog as I get closer. I want to dip my toes into the water. How
cool is it? I never want to leave the complete serenity of a walk here.
Silence is meditation...


584 - This is mesmerizing what are these babies? Elves. Innocence. Your
use of trees in many are captivating...


662 - Very intriguing image...


623 - Guy going to work- an electrifying experience...


663 - This beautiful child playing in a background that is fairytale
like, but also threatening. It's a picture of an image of the individual
in this world, unaware of its future, Although deep down he/she does know...


662 - The Memory of Mirrors emerge. Provokes the past...


654 - It's interesting to me that despite the centrality and eeriness of
the head rising out of the water, ones eye persistently focuses on the
odd stone in the foreground!...


610 - It captures the sense I have of past and present. How "ghost" of
the past influence and inhabit places and present interacting. As we
walk through the present from day to day we're also moving through
what's come before us. Life is layered. Man, hard to put in words, but
you've certainly captured it visually!...


ALL - Sepia tones in this medium are a good vehicle for the romantic
spirit struggling against but yet doomed to despair.
Gerry Y...


654 - Timelessness, The tides are rolling in and the tides are rolling
out. Generations of man go on from one time to another. There's a stone
in the foreground that is reminiscent of a scull, sort of once again
that berth death timelessness theme. The head is transparent so you
don't know if he is really there or if he's not. Maybe he comes from
another generation, maybe he's already dead, or maybe he's alive. Every
generation looks to the water and feels the pulse of tides moving in and out...


629 - Picture of the stairs. The stairs are a man made construction and
they're man made like our society is man made. The stairs go nowhere
just like our society goes nowhere and off in the distance in the
vagueness is the real world with its earth and water. It's like we're so
busy going up and down the frigging stairs we never really feel in touch
with the earth and the water...


ALL - First of all, I feel bad for not going to the actual gallery to see your
work. It is absolutely wonderful! I do hope to get to see it up close.
Your dreamlike landscapes are both mysterious and intriguing. I like to play
around in my darkroom and create composite prints myself and was
wondering how much of your work is created by dodging/burning or by actual cutting
and reshooting? (I hope you don't mind sharing some of your secrets).
K.silverstone...

From Robert: Hi K. Silverstone, Thank you for your very encouraging comments. I use
photos as source material for painting, drawing, printmaking, and now
photomontage. It was an accident that led me to photography. I tried
playing around in the dark room and found I could not produce one photo
that satisfied me, so I gave it up and returned to old fashioned
painting etc. I've also tried collage and I hated the cut out look- so
back to painting. Don't get me wrong, I love other peoples photos and
collages. Then one day I tried Photoshop. I thought this would be a good
tool for getting some painting ideas. The more I played around with it
the more I was encouraged to try new things and also I love the control.
It's like improvising with photos. You can do the darkroom tricks-
dodging, burning, cutting, plus scan in my photos, drawings, textures,
etc. and no chemicals!! I saw your fascinating work on the internet and
I must say you are in wonderland! Your work has inspired me! I love
reaching out for things that I can't touch!
Bob...


ALL- I wouldn't bring my children to a show like this because it would
give them nightmares.
B.M...