T H O M A S     S H I R L E Y
Artist’s Statement

Landscapes
Many of these landscape images are from my project called “Points of Passing”, a photographic investigation photographing along the routes taken by slaves from the slave states to the free state of Ohio and then north to Canada,
I started this project in my hometown, Cincinnati, Ohio, photographing the home of Harriet Beecher Stowe, and proceeded to Washington, Kentucky, where Stowe first witnessed slaves being auctioned.  I then journeyed to Ripley, Ohio, where I photographed the homes of two major Underground Railroad conductors, John Rankin, and John P. Parker. Ripley was the part of the Ohio River where Stowe’s character, Eliza, crossed over the ice with her baby in UNCLE TOM’S CABIN. For me the Ohio River has special significance as it separates Kentucky and Ohio providing not only a way to escape, but also a barrier to cross to freedom. As you follow the river, you see evidence of river life, river culture, and how man intercedes to deal with this powerful force.
My interest in the Ohio River and the Mississippi River has extended to the Chicago River, which I have been photographing most recently.

Portals of Time
“Portals of Time,” explores my family heritage. I work with family snapshots and material from our family archives. I use the silhouette as a portal for expressing loss, a vessel to be filled with qualities I attribute to those represented.