This winter Little Patuxent Review will release its Food issue, the cover of which features an Untitled piece by Ruxton photographer Connie Imboden. LPR Editor Steven Leyva writes, “Connie Imboden’s photography offers the viewer a chance to cross boundaries. One of these boundaries is the water line since so much of her photography involves alternative camera positioning. As her models interact with the surface of the water, Imboden is often fully submerged, shooting from below her subjects. From this vantage point, she is able to invoke visceral emotions, including desire. And in her ability to draw out desire in her subjects, and her audience, Imboden creates interesting associations with the theme of food.
“In the photograph chosen for LPR’s Winter 2015 cover, I was struck not only by the mythic quality—this could easily be a modern Narcissus—but also by the “hunger and thirst” depicted in the model’s touch on the water’s surface. In many ways, the photograph represented an interesting doorway into the journal’s food theme. In other words, if you want to explore food, you must first examine your own hunger and thirst. Perhaps that demands a lot of the reader, but so do the excellent poetry and prose of the Winter 2015 issue of Little Patuxent Review.”
What I love about Steven’s take on food is a deeper spiritual nature, especially at this time of year when we’re gorging ourselves on holiday treats from latkes to lamb, and everything in-between. Connie’s evocative cover photograph reminds me of the Dutch masters Vermeer and Rembrandt so rich and deep are the colors and emotions they derive. As you read Steven’s words and contemplate the broader context of food against Imboden’s photo, what are your thoughts about our choice? What emotions rise to the surface for you?
Little Patuxent Review 