Joe Rattie is a digital abstract photographer working primarily on the streets of Providence, Rhode Island. Upon retiring, from a 40-year career as an Operating Room nurse, in 2017 Rattie rekindled his passion for photography. Currently he’s enrolled as a painting major at Rhode Island College. Rattie jokes that the way he saw retirement was either get another job or have fun learning a new form of art.
His close focus images have a painterly quality reminiscent of abstract expressionistic paintings. Rattie takes inspiration from the work of Aaron Siskind and many of the Abstract Expressionistic painters of the early to mid twentieth century. Much like Siskind, Rattie believes “the image should stand on its own merit with its elements creating the subject and not being seen as a part of another”.
Opposed to the “trust the photo lab” days, Rattie embraces the hands-on approach digital photography affords, and finds the new tools and techniques coupled with a fast computer and a high quality digital printer give him total control of his images.
His close focus images have a painterly quality reminiscent of abstract expressionistic paintings. Rattie takes inspiration from the work of Aaron Siskind and many of the Abstract Expressionistic painters of the early to mid twentieth century. Much like Siskind, Rattie believes “the image should stand on its own merit with its elements creating the subject and not being seen as a part of another”.
Opposed to the “trust the photo lab” days, Rattie embraces the hands-on approach digital photography affords, and finds the new tools and techniques coupled with a fast computer and a high quality digital printer give him total control of his images.