Gregory Crewdson: Looking at Crewdson's work, it's hard to believe that it's not a scene straight out of a movie. His photographs are composed with such mastery of emotion, that I couldn't help but lose myself in his layers of detail, color, and narrative. Crewdson's use of lighting and deep colors, in particular, is what gives his photographs such a cinematic feel. The settings are a skillful combination of the commonplace and otherworldly, giving each photograph just enough eerieness to make the everyday strange. Every detail is carefully considered - from the lone placement of his subjects to his ghostly use of light and shadow - each element lending itself to the haunting quality of his work.

Teun Hocks: Allowing my heart and mind to enter Teun Hocks works is like stepping over the threshold of this world and entering another. Unlike Crewdson's ethereal work, however, there is magic and whimsy to his Hocks' photographs - a fairytale world made familiar by childhood stories and imaginings. He is, by far, my favorite of our four artists. With beauty and brilliance in both method and subject matter, I find the work of this Dutch artist utterly irresistable. I love the fact that he began with no more than a silver gelatin print, some oil paint, and a dose of imagination. How much more can be done now with a digital image and photoshop? Not only that, but thanks to Hocks, I find the idea of applying a traditional style to digital work rather tantalizing.


Jeff Wall: "Snapshots" was the first word that came to mind while glancing upon Jeff Wall's work. But after closer examination, it was the deliberate set-up of his very "normal" vignettes that struck me as brilliant. They may not be as painterly as Hocks, or as visually exciting as Crewdsons, but Wall's works are lyrical as much as they come off street-wise and ordinary... his visual poetry evident in his philosophical and art historical references. His decision to convey his messages in such a subtle way truly reflects his skill as an artist - not to mention some visually stunning shots of movement along the way! (milk anyone?)

Cindy Sherman: In a way, I came to see Cindy Sherman's work as a sort of intersection between Crewdson, Hocks, and Wall. Like Hocks, she is her own subject; like Crewdson, she is the creator of cinematic stills; and like Wall, she conveys her message by the subtle means of her own staged photographs. Her work is the hybrid of traditional media (appearance-wise, at least), conceptual methods, and contemporary thought - finished with a touch of glamour, of course. Unlike Crewdson, Hocks, and Wall, however, in this series Sherman relies less on setting and more on character, less on color and more on the power of the image itself.