Artist Statement / BIO
ARTIST STATEMENT Atmosphere / Spirit and Light / Classics In a time of great challenge throughout our world, I seek to capture the spectacular natural beauty that still exists on Earth. Each of my photographs stands alone as a testament to the astonishing visual feast that remains on our planet for those willing to seek it out. My landscape images focus on capturing transitory conditions of light and atmosphere as a metaphor for the fleeting nature of life itself. These images memorialize a moment in time…many of which will never be repeated. I am drawn to these theatrical moments when elements collide to form moody, ethereal, and dramatic scenes. Working within the tradition of the romantic landscape my work revisits man’s emotional connection to these mostly untouched spaces. Sometimes a human figure is included to draw attention to the grand scale of the geography. Finding solace and comfort within the landscape environment, moment’s pass and are recorded and I find the process heals and inspires me. My photographs are created with the goal of sharing these expansive and beautiful spaces still found within the modern world. Of the Wild John Berger said, “Everywhere animals disappear. In zoos they constitute the living monument to their own disappearance. And in doing so, they provoked their last metaphor. My series entitled "Of the Wild” forces us to confront the dignity, personality and identity of these magnificent creatures that still exist in the world and remind us why it is so crucial to protect them. It is at the zoo or wildlife refuge where I find the animals and birds for this series. They are protected from me and I am protected from them. I have the luxury of observing and recording their beauty in this intimate space. I am drawn to their eyes as that draws the viewer into the frame. The framing device jolts the viewer from reading the images as a cliché. By abstracting the eye or face from the rest of the body, I force an intimate exchange of energy and focus between the image and the viewer. In their natural environment these animals would be faced with the struggle to survive within the same fragile ecological environment that we all share. So, we have a lot in common with them. In the zoo ironically the animals and birds are protected and safe. My images capture the life force that is simultaneously controlled; yet untamed. They are on display for human enrichment and education. I rejoice in having the chance to record their natural beauty and splendor. I also see that they are similar yet beyond the foibles and faults of the human condition that I am very familiar with. The dichotomy of this containment in a zoo (hidden within my images) of being both on display and behind bars, alive but enclosed, is a metaphor for our own human condition. Flow The sea is filled with luminous creatures, floating in water, graceful and weightless, and elegant as a dancer. The ocean is the life force that makes the earth habitable for man’s existence. The human body is composed largely of water, and similarly oceans cover a large portion of the earth’s surface. We are connected and made of the same salty components. The power, vastness and reach of the oceans act as a magnet for me, compelling and irresistible I feel certain euphoria amid the wonder and elegance of oceanic creatures. As the oceanographer Sylvia A. Earle, has noted, jellyfish should be treated with more respect for being an incredibly durable species that has survived, intact for hundreds of millions of years. Mysterious as the ocean itself, they are dynamic in form and shape. They are the most spectacular of marine species found in all the world’s oceans from the cold Arctic to the Australian tropical waters. Oceanic creatures face an increasing struggle to survive as man impacts on their ecological environment. Ironically, in the aquarium these sea creatures are more protected and safe than in their natural world. My photographs capture their life force that is simultaneously controlled; yet untamed. These creatures are on display for human enrichment and I rejoice in having the chance to record their natural beauty, luminous colors, and fluid varied shapes. If only for a photographic moment I enjoy inhabiting their world beyond the human condition of gravity, muscles and bones. These creatures float in a gentle manner unencumbered by gravity and effort. The dichotomy of this containment in an aquarium on display for human enjoyment, but kept safe from us, is a metaphor for our own fragile human condition. We may not know it consciously, but we are dependent on these creatures and the oceans for our future survival. We are intertwined and connected by invisible and countless threads. ARTIST BIO Born in Brooklyn, NY, in 1957 I was then raised in Elmont, Long Island, NY. As a child I was exposed to travel and photography on family vacations. Upon graduating high school I moved to Miami, Florida to continue my education, yet my passion for photography never diminished. I drove to the Florida Keys to shoot underwater scenes and soon began to concentrate more seriously on creating images above water. I constantly sought out a new, and beautiful wilderness, to observe and then memorialize the best Mother Nature had to offer. Sitting atop a cliff on the Oregon Coast or exploring Alaska’s Inner Passage, I could discover and capture for eternity the Earth’s natural beauty in its most pristine state. Creating, then editing those images upon my returning home, kept the scenes alive for me. My images have been widely published and since being introduced to the Fine Art world have earned numerous awards, critical acclaim and exhibition in prestigious galleries.