Laura Emerson on Fstoppers

“I must be a mermaid, Rango. I have no fear of depths and a great fear of shallow living.” Anais Nin

I’m in love with the deep blue of the Mediterranean sea and the clear, radiant light of the French Riviera.

I love the sapphire blue expanse, the windswept azure skies, the blue flows, the blue depths, the blue mystery.

The pure emotion of the colour blue: calming, silent, still, expansive.

One must not look for a narrative in my work. My minimalistic, near-abstract images of the sea seek to immerse the viewer as much as possible into pure perceiving: a deep absorption into what is present to the senses without recourse to names and concepts.

Done in conditions of isolation and near-complete solitude over the summer months on the coast between Cannes and Saint-Tropez (France), my work requires a state of sustained and deep contemplation of the beauty of nature. Although it is not recommended, I always dive alone, in order to achieve maximum absorption. It is also there that I'm happiest.

Underwater, in the deep blue, body and mind undergo a transformation as gravity, time, spatial boundaries and directions vanish almost entirely.

If one can let go most completely, this is an experience of exhilarating unity with nature, peace and freedom.