Caitie Collier
Caitie at East End Beach, collaborative portrait
A black-and-white portrait features a person with long wavy hair and dark-framed glasses sitting on a large log outdoors. Wearing a floral sundress, a thin necklace, and wrist bracelets, they look toward the camera with a calm expression against a backdrop of soft foliage.
In Roots I take an opportunity to slow down the world around me and capture the quiet moments, good and bad. Using the camera as a nostalgic meditation, I discover a renewed sense of play and purpose. The horror of flies and piles of clutter contrast to the smile in my lover’s eyes, and a disco ball glinting in the sun. In turning a chapter on grief, I take pause to document my life and come out on the other side with a new perspective on my own liberation.
Artist Statement:
Contact:
Roots
A Lounging Lady
Caitie lays on her back across the bed left to right, elongating her body. Their legs drape over the edge, cutting off her toes at the bottom left of the frame. Pillows are stacked at the head of the bed, with a stuffed unicorn resting on top. More stuffed animals reside on the headboard, along with a stack of films. A mirror with a dream catcher hangs above the bed, and on the wall to the right there is artwork, a white polka dotted shirt, and a black crop hanging on top.
Clutter
A bed covered in miscellaneous objects and clutter: two cameras and case, a blue backpack, hangers, clothing, notebooks, a hair brush, a mirror, makeup and brushes, other personal care items, and other random objects. The walls and headboard are decorated the same as the previous photo. Clutter spills in the bottom right corner of the frame, and a door to the right is shown with more art.
(Background image of velvet curtains in a rainbow of primarily magenta, orange and yellow.).
I See You
Caitie stands in front of a bathroom mirror, their reflection looking directly at the audience. She is in an imperfect state; greasy hair pulled back with a baby blue hairclip, away from her glossy pale skin. A red pimple marks their chin. A mushroom night light is plugged into the outlet, and the vanity light is on. The walls are blue.
A Lover’s Eyes
A man stands in the center of the frame grinning from ear to ear, with a look of love and admiration in his eyes. He looks straight through the lens at the photographer behind the camera. We can see the reflection of the photographer through a glass prism held up in the left of the frame. One eye closed, as the other looks through the viewfinder of the camera, which can be partially seen in the reflection. The two lovers admire each other. The background is filled with a green lush garden, and a burnt orange fence leading to the right of the frame.
Through the Trees
The same man stands center, facing the left of the frame. The glass prism bisects the photo diagonally, stretching from bottom left to center-right. In the prism we see the silhouette of a towering old tree. The reflection of the bough of the tree blends into the profile of the man’s pensive face. A lush green garden, with a burnt orange fence fills in the background.
A Cozy Home
On top of a couch from left to right, we see: an orange, striped, knit shirt, Chopper’s hat from One Piece, and a brown, fluffy blanket, all bunched up. The shirt and hat rest on a folded, yellow, fluffy blanket.
Happy Birthday
A rectangular, wooden table with two chairs tucked in behind it. On the table, one third of a double chocolate cake remains on its platter surrounded by five slices on individual plates. The plates are mismatched: two clear, one marbled and white, one blue, and one yellow. The birthday boy’s hands enter the frame on the right holding a fork in the left hand and a knife in the right hand.
(Background image of a sunset behind a silhouette of trees.)
The Lovers; Good Morning
A “selfie” of a couple laying in bed together, head on pillows. The person on the left wears black framed glasses with gold on the bridge. The man on the right looks sleepy. The four pillows behind them are arranged in a checkered pattern. From left to right, top to bottom: a blue pillow, a white pillow with elephants, a white pillow, and another blue pillow. They have just woken up; it’s morning.
Oil Tankers at Dusk
A landscape photo of the massive oil tankers off Bug Light Park at dusk. The sky is painted with indigo and splashes of pink. The foreground, brightly lit by the flash, is a chain link fence completely dominated by overgrown foliage.
Lilies Lead the Way
Maroon and yellow daylillies fill the left of the frame in the foreground accompanied by tall, lush, green grass. In the background, more daylillies draw our eye to a man in an orange knit top, blurred by movement. Behind him is a burnt orange fence.
Bee in Flight
Closeup on a Gayfeather flower; tall, purple, and fluffy. There are two honey bees: one on the flower, and one caught perfectly frozen in mid flight heading towards it. Taller flower stalks stand adjacent to the subject. Blurred swatches of color from out of focus flowers paint the background.
It’s a Long Road
A grand landscape in Newry, Maine. A long, empty two-lane road stretches across the foreground of the frame. Massive green, forested hills dominate the background, beneath a nearly cloudless blue sky. The road is touched by the shadows of the tree-line framing the left side of the photo. The six o'clock sun beats down on the scene, creating a deep warmth to the photo.
Sun Kissed
A black and white profile of the photographer takes up the right side of the frame. She is taking a selfie, looking past her right shoulder, facing the blazing sun, which highlights her features. A long leading rural road stretches behind her, into the grand mountains of Newry, Maine. The shoulder of the road bears cracks where greenery is forcing its way through. She wears a baseball cap and black framed glasses.
A Moody Scene
A vertical photo of the tops of three wine bottles, each holding a different item: one holds a tall, lit, beeswax, taper candle, another holds two pink and one white lego flowers, and the last one holds nothing, but the remains of candle wax can be spotted running down the side of the bottle. A Victrola vinyl player is to the right of the bottles. The candle glow illuminates the bottom of a painting above, highlighting a foot draped by orange and maroon fabric.
A Ghost in the Grass
The tall shadow of a figure in a dress blankets the center of the photo, stretched by an afternoon sun. The ground itself is a mottled green/brown from summer drought. The left arm of the figure is positioned bent at the elbow, with its hand pointed toward the ground, fingers spread. The right arm is out of frame.
The Flies
Iridescent crinkled cellophane placed over the flash; a closeup on an old, decrepit door. Scattered on the window pane is 20 or so black flies, slightly out of focus. Out the window you can see the brick wall of the building, and the roof of the building next door.
A Glimmer of Hope
A small disco ball hangs from a black, artisanal hook on a wall just below the ceiling, contrasting the dirty, white walls and window frames. Scorch marks from string lights previously hung around the room remain.
Freedom
A portrait of Caitie in front of a brown curtain. The curtain’s color is altered from bronze to pink using a yellow gel, combined with iridescent, crinkled cellophane, over the flash. She is sitting on a stool, in a black tank top and shorts, with black-framed glasses. She has her hands over her head, swinging to the right, with a smile on her face and her long brown hair flowing. There is a blue ghost-like hue coming off of her body from the movement.