In Spartana’s series “Human-Nature Intertwined” he creates fanciful landscapes by combining the human form with multiple natural scapes. The interplay of black & white forms overlaid with details of flowers take on the function of strata. His work has expanded the use of natural elements to include scenes of nature during times of growth and decay and even using the textures from rock. The textures from flowers, rock and the human form create organic shapes and forms drawing the viewer into Spartana’s world. The shapes and texures form tenuous bond between the organic and the inorganic.
Art became important to me at an early age with an interest in photography. I graduated in 1983 from the BFA Program in Photography at the Maryland Institute College of Art which introduced him to the work and philosophies of influential artists: Irving Penn’s quality of light; Cartier-Bresson’s composition, use of space, and "the decisive moment”; Pete Turner, who felt that the transparency was not the end product, but just the beginning; and lastly Georgia O’Keeffe’s paintings of flowers and nature were a revelation, inspiring me to look closer at the hidden beauty of the natural world.
