My favorite subject matter, either in painting or in photography, has always been portraiture. I love the human face. I also prefer doing portraits of Buddhist monks and other spiritual contemplatives in Asia. They aren’t concerned with whether their portraits are cosmetically appealing. For them, a photo of themselves is simply a memento to gloss a particular occasion. Westerners often ask for “photoshop favors” such as bag, wrinkle, or chin removals. Buddhist monks know that wrinkles are just part of the impermanence of the phenomenon we call life. Future lives will bring more than enough facelifts.
-Dennis Cordell, from the artist’s statement on his website.
