Life is mysterious. It’s never just about what’s on the surface. Underneath, it has a beautiful complexity and meaning that we can only begin to guess at. My mission is to try and reveal some idea or detail that may just open a door, so others are drawn into that other world.
----------------------------------------
I grew up in a family of artists which colored my perception of art from an early age. I quickly learned to appreciate both representational and abstract forms of art as equally valid methods of expression. I've always been strongly opinionated that photography be considered a perfectly valid form of fine art alongside painting or drawing, depending, of course, on the particular work. As I've grown older, I have developed a stronger personal bias toward abstraction and surrealism – or at least away from representational work.
My 50-year obsession with photography began with an introductory class at UNM in 1971 under Paige Pinnell and I’ve been actively working in that media ever since, later having studied with Wayne Lazorik and Betty Hahn. However, as I’ve always been fascinated by both art and technology, I chose a career in technology while continuing to make art to feed my creative side. Now retired, I feel quite fortunate to still be able to still enjoy viewing, exploring, and making new art. Some of my personal favorite photographic artists include: Man Ray, Ralph Gibson, Olivia Parker, Jan Groover, Frantisek Drtikol, and Jaroslav Rossler. However, I’m also strongly attracted to work of the surrealist painters from decades past - notably Magritte, Miro, Dali, De Chirico, and most recently Leonora Carrington, Kay Sage, and Dorothea Tanning.
For nearly 30 years I created traditional Black and White Silver Gelatin prints in a wet darkroom. Those last 10 years, I often hand applied oils over the prints and used other alternative process techniques.. My first public showing was in 1991 and after winning a competition a few years later, I had my first solo show in NYC. In 1995 I won the Willard Van Dyke Photography award and had my second solo show at the Megan Fox gallery in Santa Fe. Around 2004, I dismantled my last darkroom and now retired, have worked in a digital studio in my home.
Today, I usually begin new work by cutting primary forms from white paper. I then arrange the forms into a composition which I photograph with a digital camera. Combining that image with others stored in the computer, I can colorize the image using a controlled palette. I also paint over certain sections manually using computer tools. Thus, my subject matter is now mostly non-objective/abstract/surreal imagery constructed in a studio setting.
My work is held by The Albuquerque Museum of Art and History, The New Mexico Museum of Art, The Capitol building in Santa Fe, The City of Albuquerque, and many private collectors.
5/23/23