8th PLACE WINNER :: Paul Biddell / UK

---

Artist Statement :: My inspiration and influences range from Renaissance art to Dadaism and Surrealism, from Picasso to the flotsam and jetsam that I pick up on my walks by the sea near my home. Having experimented with a wide variety of media during my time at art school, I found that photography was the thing that most excited me. Its' immediacy and the rather hazy line that can be created between reality and the feeling of not being quite sure what's happening is what I find appealing. Some pictures are simple and complete inside my head from the beginning, but most of my images start with the inspiration of the objects themselves. It may be something found in a junk shop, washed up on the beach near my home or something from my past, such as wooden letters from a childhood game or my palette from art school days. I often assemble a collection of such items and then experiment to find the perfect juxtaposition of composition, form and colours - what I think of as playtime. Sometimes a meaning will evolve that was not intended, but I mostly prefer people to read what they like into the pictures and hopefully enjoy them for their visual stimulation. > Visit artist's website