Photography? Painting?

While I was shooting the “Ink in Water” project I was often asking myself if what I was doing was photography or painting? The boundaries are blurred.Definition of painting:1. The process, art, or occupation of coating surfaces with paint for a utilitarian or artistic effect.2. A picture or design in paint.Also:1. (Fine Arts & Visual Arts / Art Terms) the art or process of applying paints to a surface such as canvas, to make a picture or other artistic composition2. (Fine Arts & Visual Arts / Art Terms) a composition or picture made in this way3. The act of applying paint to a surface with a brushDefinition of photography:1. The art or process of producing images of objects on photosensitive surfaces.2. The art, practice, or occupation of taking and printing photographs.3. A body of photographs.What is it? The second one? Both?Two of my favorite painters are Jackson Pollock and Sam Francis and in a way the randomness and the colors of this image reminds me on both of them.What happened in the tank was pretty much out of my control. I decided what inks I would drip into the water but that was it. A little yellow here, blue there, some green in the corner and then I had to let go.The only other thing I did was to decide the moment I would capture what happened on film.I’m not a painter and most likely will never be one but what made a Jackson Pollock and a  Sam Francis great in my opinion was the ability to let go. They would step aside and let the painting happen.My dream is to one day be able shoot like they painted and if I ever become a painter I would like to be able to paint what I just shot. :-)   "Photography? Painting?" Williamsburg/Brooklyn/Ink in Water 05-16-10

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