Brian Hallas is a photographer from Shrewsbury Township, New Jersey, whose latest works of abstract imaginative realism focus on the flora that decorates his daily life by creating hallucinatory blooms of the imagination. His artwork has been shown in museums and galleries in New York City, California, Dallas, Kiev, Western Australia, and throughout New Jersey, hangs in several private collections in the US, and has been featured in several online magazines. He has worked in the theater since the third grade, and as a sound designer, composer, and performer, he’s been an associate of National Medal of the Arts recipient Ping Chong since 1983. Brian many years ago adopted photography as a serious medium for exploration and expression upon becoming a school teacher, where the economy of effort to achieve the maximum effect is one of the keys to survival. His daily rituals of taking, processing, and posting his photographs make for him an oasis of peace and creativity in this very troubled era. Among the multitudes of perks afforded by a life in the Arts, Brian has especially been fortunate to very contentedly feast in many parts of the world where he otherwise would never have dined.
Statement:
Like most artists, my primary goal is to entertain myself. When others appreciate my images, this collaborative experience enriches the entire adventure beyond my expectation. In my latest work, I’ve been focusing on the plants and flowers that decorate my daily life and using them to create abstract blooms of the imagination. I refine each floral portrait through the filter of “abstract imaginative realism” as a way of exploring their innate mystery.
The iPhone is my main tool, to both shoot and manipulate my photographs. By using self-created filters and a variety of apps in combination, I distort the myriad essentials of the originals. This process dramatizes the textures, contours, patterns, hues, and moods inherent in the flora itself. I then use the resultant images as individual layers, combining them to create the final piece. The often-painterly result gives an intense and enigmatic experience.
After a long and rich life collaborating in film, music, and especially theater (principally as a sound designer in NYC), I turned to photography as my primary means of creativity. My tastes are stimulated by an eclectic spectrum of artists from an array of art forms, eras, and genres whose works never fail to encourage my creativity in this fantastic kaleidoscopic universe. It should also be noted that I’ve always regarded Grandma Moses as a true icon, and now that I’ve passed the age of 70, I feel closer to her than ever.