Outside the Box, a collaboration of Matthew J. Peake and David Lee Black, is a figurative series, but it turns a 2D process into a 3D one. As sculptural photography, it allows the viewer to see the subjects as if they were suspended in a block of ice, from all four sides and from the top and bottom as well, merely by walking around the cube, an eight-foot high structure, measuring 42 inches on a side, balanced with one of its corners on a triangular pyramidal pedestal.

The concept of Outside The Box is really a perspective on perspective in many metaphorical ways:
A cube poised on its point is about an object in balance, perfect balance in fact, like two dancers, who, although different as black and white, and contorted, twisted, and asymmetric, are still able to achieve a beautiful equilibrium—a worthy point of view for today’s world!
It is also an expression of attitude—who says a block has to be on its side—with two characters who interact, expressing opposing feelings, not immediately clear to a viewer on a single panel, but discoverable when the viewer circles the entire cube seeing things from all perspectives.
A block on point is playful, imaginative, creative, and so are the pair of nude models, their nakedness symbolizing the innocence of children, playing with objects—or interacting through them—in unusual, surrealistic, and dream-like ways, the meaning of which is entirely a matter of one’s own interpretation.
Finally, a cube can represent several objects, like a child’s block or a gambler’s die, and in the latter case, the die’s dots can be black hats, as seen from above, worn by models who interact in a variety of playful ways.
A cube poised on its point is about an object in balance, perfect balance in fact, like two dancers, who, although different as black and white, and contorted, twisted, and asymmetric, are still able to achieve a beautiful equilibrium—a worthy point of view for today’s world!
It is also an expression of attitude—who says a block has to be on its side—with two characters who interact, expressing opposing feelings, not immediately clear to a viewer on a single panel, but discoverable when the viewer circles the entire cube seeing things from all perspectives.
A block on point is playful, imaginative, creative, and so are the pair of nude models, their nakedness symbolizing the innocence of children, playing with objects—or interacting through them—in unusual, surrealistic, and dream-like ways, the meaning of which is entirely a matter of one’s own interpretation.
Finally, a cube can represent several objects, like a child’s block or a gambler’s die, and in the latter case, the die’s dots can be black hats, as seen from above, worn by models who interact in a variety of playful ways.

"Gray Groom" is featured at the
Member Show: Autumn Angles
October 12-November 17, 2019
Southern Vermont Arts Center
930 SVAC Drive
West Road
Manchester, VT 05255
802-362-1405
Tuesday-Saturday 10am-5pm
Sunday 12-5pm
"Timepieces"
"I remember when I first viewed your abstract pieces, how I felt an ancient Celtic connection in your designs. Love it! What an inspired combination of photos, your abstract pieces, and lyrical words read by a lovely voice...a meditative visual poem of shadows and light. I will watch this again and again.Enjoy the beauty of the day, breathe in the fresh air, and continue to provide the world with your unique vision. Thank you for sharing..."
"I remember when I first viewed your abstract pieces, how I felt an ancient Celtic connection in your designs. Love it! What an inspired combination of photos, your abstract pieces, and lyrical words read by a lovely voice...a meditative visual poem of shadows and light. I will watch this again and again.Enjoy the beauty of the day, breathe in the fresh air, and continue to provide the world with your unique vision. Thank you for sharing..."