M. Blair Ligon · Computer Painting · Fine Art Prints · Floral Series

When you grow up in a national forest, getting lost and eaten is a constant concern, so stories like "Little Red Riding Hood" or "Sleepy Hollow" have an extra impact on a young person, especially when they are recreated on film. Progeny seeks to capture both the beauty and the reality of the silent woods.

Stop-motion was the first form of animation, beginning in 1898. Outdoor movie stages for the clay figures or puppets were typically made from moss and twigs–the stuff of architectural model landscapes. Early cinematographers used a shallow depth-of-field to create a sense of space in the set and to exploit the open diaphragm of the lens to gather more details from within shadows. Progeny uses photos of small things such as moss, bark and a catkin combined with selective blurring and aperture to create the feel of a dark, impenetrable wooded slope, as well as referring back to early-mid 20th century film and stop-motion sets.

above your head,
at your feet,
the forest
is the same.