Something to See

Artist Statement

Blessed are the weird people: poets, misfits, writers, mystics, painters, troubadours for they teach us to see the world through different eyes. -Jacob Nordby

Through all my writing and photography, I speak and invite all to share their truth, making the unknown known. I witness these truths to understand yours and my history, weaving art with how we think feel, believe, connect, and care.

The art of photography and framing text is inspired by freedom of expression denied me as a child stifled by abuse. I have an ever-fresh curiosity into the wonders of the world from ground to sky and near and far of art, literature, biology, and geography. Architectural lines may seem as unforgiving as the bars of a prison on mind, body, and soul. However, I bear witness that whatever the circumstance the human spirit, by God’s grace, may ever arise in inspiration, creativity, and life.

My black and white documentary and abstract photograph studies of old, historic, often dilapidated architecture empower you and I to see the minute details of these buildings and our lives. My creative perspective, vivid texture, and rich tonality enhance history and my story. The story of my landscape and flora photography is the nourishment, the peace, a place to breathe I receive in the jeweled beauty surrounding us.

One of many truths about art is it is two-sided—the perspective of creator and the perspective of viewer. Many people are afraid to voice their ideas and feelings about trauma for shame of feeling they did wrong and about art for fear of getting it wrong. In both art and trauma, no voice should be bound. Both creator and viewer may be witness to past, present, and inspiration of future.

Artist Craft

Every artist was first an amateur. -Ralph Waldo Emerson

After I graduated with my MA amid Covid December 2020, I thought I was building a productive business charging investments in software, business applications, and materials. Finally, I was unable to pay the bills as school loan money dried up.

However, these last few years educated me in best practices, gave me otherwise unknown opportunities, and taught me to live on a disability income, albeit on thin ice, with financial assistance and occasional help.

Being forced to go on disability gave me the room to grow and those opportunities amounted to extending my reach for discovery, enjoyment, education, and love of creating like tending a garden from seed to see it bloom. I use my photography for essays and my writing for artist statements. I go on low mileage hikes to capture the beauty of nature and uncover abandoned buildings. The ability to research, photo edit, create social media posts, etc online is a boon.

Better grasping these abilities is freeing me to open the door of a more inclusive arts education with art and artists past and present. If you are an artist, something in your life proves it, and we are all creative in our own way, regardless of medium.

Bio

Y. Hope Osborn publishes nature expressions that bring pleasure and overcome pain and personal expressions that encourage survivors and expose victimization. She photographs jewels of the natural for photo and digital art and black and white abstract and documentary studies of historic and timeworn of the built alongside texts of history and her story, weaving art with how she/we think, feel, believe, connect, and care. Hope has a writing MA and is published with Woods Reader, Plants and Poetry Journal, Whitefish Review, University of Arkansas at Little Rock Writers’ Network, Awakenings, Arkansas Living, and The Sunlight Press. Her works are awarded through Monovisions, Neutral Density, Julia Margaret Cameron, Not Real Art and Mid-America Arts Alliance Catalyze grants, and SWOP 2024 and exhibited online and off in Portland, Oregon; New York City; Santa Paula, California, Arkansas—USA and Barcelona, Spain. Hope believes being a great author and artist is to be entrusted to express reality and imagination that captivates, inspires, or informs while enriching lives. Despite disabling health, she is tenacious about living fully and productively, growing a year-around, patio garden; loving on rowdy cat Isobel; and trying to hold fast to a God who continually holds fast to her. Among these she blooms in seeking elusive great Captures, expressing reality and imagination that captivates, inspires, or informs while enriching lives.