Isaac Layman: Home Schooled

Published by Minor Matters Books LLC
Essay by Bob Nickas
Language: English

Home Schooled presents a chronological experience of the work of Seattle-based artist Isaac Layman, from his undergraduate studies through his 2013 solo exhibition Funeral at Elizabeth Leach Gallery and beyond.

Layman’s photographic constructions derive primarily from ordinary environs within the home he shares with his wife Camilla and their children. Layman describes his process thus: “I take many photographs of one object, one spot, then another, then another. Each image is topographical.” His large-scale objects, often encased in handmade frames, possess a disarming multi-point perspective, forcing the mechanics of the human eye and the brain informing it to pause, see, consider, see again.

The selection of images featured in this publication range from the deceptively simple surface of Stove, 2008 to the cacophony of Drawers 1, from the same year. Environments reconsidered (Sink, Cabinet) over a span of years highlight dramatically different visual results. The design and sequence of the book are intended to introduce his way of seeing to expanded audiences, as well as foster a newly-intimate relationship to the works presented for those who have personal experience of Layman’s works.

Text courtesy of Minor Matters.