Artist Statement

De la Luz, “of the light”, refers to the special light I experienced when photographing out in the fields in northern Monterey County, California. The crops, and more, unfold under the sun in full view. A search for the American dream is played out under this light as well.

For years during my commute along Highway 1, when I drove by the agricultural fields near Monterey County, California, I would see from my window the figures of the workers streaking by. Even though they labored out in the open, their day-to-day remained opaque to me. I found this disconcerting, as most of the parents of the students that I teach are field workers. Motivated to understand more about the communities of which my students are a part, I decided to stop one day.

At first, these vast expanses, full of people by day yet eerily empty in the late afternoons, gave me a sense of freedom. The fields and crops were laid out in geometric patterns and stretched as far as the eye could see; nature taken and manipulated, oddly beautiful. I observed evidence of time passing faster than the seasons, as multiple plantings at an accelerated pace are made possible by the continuous rotation of crops and temperate climate. One day the fields were abundant and the next day they lay barren.

De la Luz became grounded when I turned my lens to the people that worked the land. The gathering of the crops requires back-bending physical labor and the days are long, starting at dawn. In several portraits, a cloth covers the face or the person looks away, reflecting their often anonymous status in society. Through these interactions, the fields took on a new light and I came to learn that these open landscapes are deceiving in their simplicity.

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De la Luz was photographed in film, primarily with my 4×5 view camera. The prints are hand-printed silver gelatin, selenium toned prints.

To see more of Maria Isabel’s work, please visit her website: https://mariaisabelleblanc.com