The Last Portrait

I sat alone in the Victorian classroom. On the left I felt the cold void of darkness yet the right of the room was lit by a shaft of light from the window. Two identical glass jars sat on the window sill containing hyacinths. The plant on the left withered and dying, the plant on the right a magnificent blue bulb - in full bloom.

The teacher asked me a now forgotten question, I raised my hand to answer but noticed that the roots of each plant where gleaming white. I put down my hand and awoke from the dream. Three weeks later I was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour.

My practice is to mediate dreams and nightmares with photographic image to develop self-portraiture. This dream was more vivid from others and on being told I might die from the tumour I decided to pick up my camera and produce four composite self portraits. I lost myself in denial and realised that self was no longer important to The Last Portrait.

We Are, We See, We Think and We Fear are evidence of the human condition, a reaction to each moment and emotive states present in each and every one of us.

Biography

Julie Kim Rossiter was born in Wiltshire and has been a surrealist photographer for twenty years.
Her surreal portraiture has been exhibited in major galleries in London and throughout Europe, Julie works only for charites and non profit-making organisations to promote equality. Her work is now sponsored by the Snowdon Award.