Todd Forsgren Artist Talk

  



I attended the artist talk held by Todd Forsgren, the current photography teacher at St. Mary's, on the 22nd of October 2013. Todd Forsgren was born and raised in Ohio and went on to receive an undergraduate degree in biology from Bowdoin College in Maine. After taking a research job in Australia, Todd realized that he'd much rather make art focused on nature than research it. Forsgren then went on to attend the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, from which he gained his post-bachelor's degree. Forsgren also attended a University in the Czech Republic from which he received his Master's degree. Todd Forsgren has taught photography courses in several schools including the Maryland Institute for the Creative Arts, Anne Arundel Community College, and of course St. Mary's College of Maryland.

Todd Forsgren's work started with very nature-oriented pieces. Forsgren mentioned that during his time in Australia, he would go on nature walks which inspired him to take his early landscape photographs.

Once he returned to the states to continue attending school for Fine  Arts, his work shifted to being focused on areas within cities that had some kind of natural aspect. As he attended Bowdoin College in Boston, Forsgren shot the series of the Fenway Victory Garden photographs.

Some of Forsgren's most recent work focuses on several different species of birds, such as Toucans, Warblers, and Hummingbirds. These photographs feature one bird that appears to be caught in a net. Forsgren informed the audience that these birds were caught using a harmless ornithological research technique, which he learned by watching scientists.

Overall, I found Todd Forsgren's biography and work quite interesting. Being a biology major/art minor I could definitely relate to Todd's photographs. I am also very interested in photography and this artist talk made me feel as if I can continue to do photography along with biological research. My favorite pieces that Forsgren did include the ornithological pieces and Lunar Landscape, pictured below.



I thought that the ornithological pieces were very visually interesting because there isn't really anything in the background of the pictures that distract from the actual bird. This allows the viewer to really see every part of the bird: the texture of its feathers, its vibrant colors, and its unique position in the net. I also really enjoyed the Lunar Landscape because it is very visually intriguing, especially with the technique that was used to make it. Forsgren talked about how ambrotypes (the technique used for Lunar Landscape) are very difficult to do because of the chemicals and the amount of precision that is involved. I enjoyed his use of the vintage technique and I thought it contributed to the mood and tone of the picture.

 

Overall, I really enjoyed this Artist Talk because I liked how Forsgren incorporates the natural world in almost all of his pieces.