Jay Ressler • Artist

Jay Ressler • Artist

Artistic Images and Sometimes Commentary

France Notre Dame Paris 

No. 16. Notre Dame: Artistic and Architectural Treasure

Jay M. Ressler 0 Comments

Shot during a 2014 trip to Paris, these photos from Notre Dame cathedral merit posting now in light of the devastating fire this week. At first, I was not particularly inclined to jump on the bandwagon in response to the shocking event. Upon further reflection, I decided to make these pictures the focus of this week’s post. One can only be struck by the artistry and craftsmanship of the Twelfth Century cathedral constructed using pre-industrial methods. More than a symbol of French nationalism, it is an important piece of world cultural heritage. (Click on the Thumbnails for a larger view.)

  • Notre Dame Wide View
  • Kings of Judah
  • Where Napoleon was Coronated
  • Flying Buttresses
  • Charlemagne
  • Crowded Every Day
  • Saint Denis the Headless
  • More Kings
  • Skateboarding on the Roof
  • Encrusted in Emeralds, Rubies, and Sapphires
  • Rose Window

Jay M. Ressler

Jay Ressler Composite Photography, Encaustic Art, and Oil Painting He is an outstanding location photographer and painter, with an eye that can capture the soul of a Havana back street as beautifully as the sip of a hungry hummingbird, often with compelling black and white images. Jay Ressler is best known for artistic expression that lives in layers between opposites. “I like to explore boundaries,” he explains. “Boundaries between consciousness and the unconscious, between reality and imagination, between certainty and skepticism.” He does this by compositing his own photography in multiple layers to produce stunningly original, interleaved images. Using Photoshop, other image manipulation software and a variety of digital effects, he paints one photographic layer on top of another. He takes advantage of textures he's captured along with an array of processes for manipulating light, contrast, and color to tell the story. “Distorting and reinterpreting the literal 'machine moments' captured by the camera is as old as the art of photography,” he insists. Jay occasionally extends his multi-layered approach to encaustic mixed media creations. Based on ancient techniques, the process begins with cooking his own recipes of beeswax and damar resin and applying this medium between the layers of photographic images, along with various pigmented compounds and materials to add color, texture and expression. Either way, the results are riveting. The viewer is drawn into an unfolding, dreamlike scene that might be heart-warming, haunting, gritty, poignant or magical. Sometimes, within the various layers, all of the above. The award-winning photographer/artist has many dimensions himself. He studied advanced digital photography at Pittsburgh Filmmakers and advanced encaustic techniques with leading instructors in the field. He worked as an underground coal miner, steelworker, machinist, labor and civil rights activist, copywriter and commercial printer. He has a BS in Psychology from Albright College.

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