The chair is solid oak, circa 1930's(?). It has years of sweat, solvents and stains unevenly permeating the grain. The previous owner said he was "gonna toss it into the dumpster". Well, we just couldn't let that happen (another good reason to own a pickup truck and have a husband with a strong back!)
I saved the chair because wanted to see what people would look like seated in it. It's really fun to sit in. It swivels, rolls tilts, and is rock solid.
My goal with portraiture is to give the subject whatever he/she needs to be themselves, or release whatever side of their personality wants to be "out" the day of the shoot.
Because this chair's personality seemed so welcoming and secure, I was hoping it would help give the subjects something to work with or relax in before the camera.
Young Trey (charming, witty and full of chutzpah) has the honor of being the first person to have their portrait made in this chair. The day of the shoot, we called it "the grandpa chair". He's a little small for it, his feet couldn't touch the floor. So just out of view, his huge sneakers are propped up on a half apple box. That allowed him to have his knees at a 90-degree angle, so he could place his elbows comfortably. I love this pose on him. The composition is the classic triangle (arms to head) atop an inverted triangle (knees to ankles.)
I'll continue to have folks sit in this chair at the studio (gawd, it's too heavy to take on location--but if you got the budget, I got the brawn) and see if we can create a body of work with this chair.
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