Knowledge of the Raw is a selection of photographs that Seltzer has taken over the course of his life in an almost diary-like style. Often graphic and personal, Seltzer’s work is more stream of consciousness than documentary. Years may pass before an image is completed. With the passage of time comes a fresher, and frequently more complicated perspective of what the initial “shot” may have brought to mind. An image that may have lain dormant for years may be triggered back to life by a passing memory, dream, sound, or smell. Once the image is again brought to the top of the “active” pile, it is reworked in order to incorporate its newly found perspective. This reworking consists of scratching, writing, etching the negative itself, or using a variety of media applied to the print; hand applied toners, paint, ink, etc..
