“McCartney has a formidable acuity of gaze, but her pictures eschew the perfectionism of a photographer like him [Henri Cartier-Bresson] for something that embraces instead the informal, accidental beauty of lived experience.”
from the introduction to “The Polaroid Diaries”
After catching small glimpses of Linda Eastman (later McCartney, of course) in “The Beatles: Get Back” I became smitten with her work. And reading more, her whole way of looking at the world, whether through a lens or not. Particularly mesmerizing are her Polaroid transfers. Misty and muted; enchanted, as though what she’s seeing is just beyond the Veil.
Simple subjects.
–a winter rose.
–scattered maples leaves on a wooden walkway.
–foxgloves.
Utterly breathtaking.
McCartney captured the extraordinary magic of ordinary moments.
Her daughter Mary says, “She’d always just be looking for everyday moments that interested her rather than manicured scenes. She wanted real moments.”
I wanted to try it myself, but I don’t have a Polaroid camera. So…I improvised.
And there is my new art.
stephanie pepper 