Happy New Year

As 2023 closes, I would like to take a moment to reflect on it and thank all of you who follow me and my work as both continue to evolve. I sincerely appreciate it and look forward to building on it moving into this upcoming year.

I’ve always had a very definitive vision of how I wanted my imagery to look and be perceived. Because of this, I’ve spent the majority of my development as a photographer pursuing the means (cameras, films, filters) to achieve my vision. I’ve always been heavily influenced by the “super wide” format motion pictures of the 60’s & 70’s (Lawrence of Arabia, Sergio Leone, Stanley Kubrick, etc.); therefore, my attraction to panoramic (6x12, 6x17) format cameras. The dreamscape world and composition techniques of the surrealist painters; hence, my affinity for using infrared films, pinhole cameras, and wide lenses. Another very strong influence has always been music, and the album cover and content artwork, and layout design. In particular, Storm Thorgerson’s work with Pink Floyd, and Anton Corbijn’s for U2. A perfect example being U2’s album “The Unforgettable Fire”.

However, the last couple of years have been somewhat transitional for me. After a decade (2012-2021) of completing commissions, grants, residencies and year long projects I’ve found myself asking, “Okay, what’s next?”, for both myself, and my work. “Do I continue on the path I’ve created; or stray, and pursue something new?” I have many continuing series’ that I am constantly working on and adding to, but, “do I want to continue to address them as I always have in the past?”or “should I close them out and move on?”. I guess these questions are typical to the creative process’ of most artists and photographers but, they’re relatively new to me.

I’ve always held the belief that when an artist or band try to replicate the formulas that brought them success in the past they have nothing new to offer. Although I understand the premise, I believe that it is unattainable, given that circumstances and time continually change our worlds and the way we perceive everything. Therefore, in my humble opinion, as artists we must take all that we’ve learned from past experiences, failures and success’, and apply that to telling the “story” of now; the moment. I believe a fantastic example of an artist who was able to accomplish this is David Bowie. Somehow he always seemed to change like a chameleon to reflect where he was, and what he was evolving into as an artist. Seemingly, caring more about sharing his perceptions of the world and music at the given moment, than how it would be received, and how successful it would be. This is definitely not an easy endeavor, by any means.

So, Happy New Year to you all; and please stay tuned...