Artist's Statement

Elizabeth Clark Libert

This collection of images is a poetic study of my young sons as they play in the verdant outdoors. Our cultural response to males behaving badly is “boys will be boys”, and I often witness my sons’ affection for aggressive play with undertones of power and violence. That said, I’m also struck by their sensitivity, sensuality, and by their fascination with nature.

As a mother, I struggle with their behavioral dichotomy, and find myself both concerned and entranced by their wild spirit. I am not religious, yet I view them as holy creatures, as beautiful flora plagued by thorns and immortality. I lust for them - for their youth, for their glow, for their obliviousness - and I mourn the passing of the seasons.

All photographs included were taken with a Pentax 645D and Canon 5D Mark II, and are presented as archival inkjet prints in editions of three in three sizes (approximately 15x20", 24x30", and 30x40").