Artist’s Statement by Dean C. Stecker (9/2025)

In both my poetry and photography of late, I allow myself to be influenced by a mystical notion of whispered promises — a notion of my own making. These promises offer a deeper understanding of the unseen and are hidden in plain sight in our everyday environment: in a gate or a door perhaps, or in a window or a quiet street that curves out of sight up ahead. They are most often overlooked, and even when we do sense their presence, they likely hover at the very edge of our grasp — like the faint sweetness of nectar on a honeysuckle stamen, a taste both there and not there at the same time.

Every poem of mine is accompanied by one of my photographs. I pair them to appeal to two modes of perception apropos one message.

My poetry is becoming more narrative in nature, and I have increasingly moved toward free verse to allow greater freedom of thought and to better approximate the rhythm of natural speech. My line lengths vary, as do the number of lines in each stanza, which I use solely as paragraph markers. Though I do not rely on full rhyme, I do look for opportunities to use slant rhyme–principally consonance (e.g., shape and show) and assonance (e.g., high and strike) — to enrich the rhythm and flow within lines. Finally, the subjects of my poems frequently unfold through extended metaphor.

I take all of my outside photographs in town just after sunrise because the light is best and the colors richest when the sun is low in the sky. Also, there are few people and vehicles out and about then, and I rarely want them in my photos. At home, when developing these shots in Photoshop, I want a sharp focus, vibrant colors, and pronounced contrast between light and dark. I push development in these three areas until I reach the border between real life and fantasy.

Unlike in town, when I am at the beach and facing east, I take my photographs when the sun is still below the horizon, because once the sun appears, the sky’s rich colors will bleach out. As a result, these photos are darker than those I take elsewhere, but I want that dreamy twilight appearance here, and I even tolerate a little softness in my surf to add to that dreaminess.

In sum, drawing from the above practices, I am exploring the relationship between everyday surroundings and heightened clarity — as well as an ensuing inner calm — should we choose to pay attention.