Mirrored and Reflected

What does a mirror reveal as it reflects what is in front of it? What does an image reveal as it is reflected back on itself?

In my prints I take one subject and mirror, reflect, flip, and rotate it, then combine these four perspectives into a single image. The subject’s lines and shapes are seen in relationship to each other, creating new patterns and designs.

During the past three winters I photographed the ever-changing and infinitely varied shapes and patterns of ice that formed on the surfaces of small puddles, most one to two feet in diameter and no more than one to two inches deep. I was amazed at the variety of patterns and shapes the ice became and amazed again at what the mirrored and reflected presentation of the subject revealed in the final print. Some images are just a fascinating presentation of pattern and design. Other images transport me into another time and dimension.

In the prints titled Deep Space, I photographed ice patterns on the surface of 1” deep puddles. The multifaceted prints of these exposures take me into the realm of deep space: into the presence of galaxies and stars and nebulae, into infinity. What is the power of a photograph, a painting, a drawing, a print, or any art form to transcend what we see into more than what we see? From sight to insight.

“…I go amazed into 

the maze of a design.”

—Wendall Berry
Poet (Sabbaths, 7–8)

Ice forms on the surface of small puddles seem like such a simple subject. Yet exploring within this subject both with the camera and by the way it is presented in the print allows me to visualize what I sense within the subject as well as what I see.

ABout the Artist

David Stichweh

Katie Reaver is ceramic artist and sculptor based in Millersport, Ohio. She studied ceramics at the University of Mary Washington, in Fredericksburg, Virginia, where she graduated with a BA in studio art. Two years in the post-baccalaureate program at the University of Arkansas developed her artistic practice and gave her the opportunity to work as a studio technician and instructor at a local community arts center. After completing her MFA in ceramics at Ohio University, Katie joined the editorial staff of the Ceramic Arts Network and currently serves as editor of Ceramics Monthly. In the studio, her work and research focus on decorative objects, craft processes, and personal and shared histories. 

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