Always on the lookout for contrasting symbols and shapes to highlight, photographer Natalie Christensen found the ideal companions in the vintage cars and architecture of the American Southwest. Exploring suburban landscapes for the banal beauty missed by the casual observer, Christensen captures beauty and symbolism hidden in the everyday. Her ongoing series, Cars, focuses her lens on the vintage automobiles discovered on the streets of New Mexico and beyond.
Chistensen arrived in New Mexico having left Kentucky, and a career in Psychotherapy, behind, finding the seductive light of the Southwest an inspiration for her work. In her artist’s statement she explains, “The beauty of this environment is clear to most people; however, my interest was to explore the more banal suburban landscapes that may not be noticed by the casual observer and to draw attention to the drama that is missed. I am using symbols and shapes, line and shadow, to present psychological metaphors in the landscape. Closed and open doors, shadows and swimming pools draw me to a scene as they invite conjecture. My images emphasize what is happening within the frame and invite the viewer to contemplate what is happening outside the edges but can’t be seen”. See more of her work here.
Images © Natalie Christensen / with permission