Prints of my first color shots taken in Yellowstone National Park in 1949 excite me just as much now as they did then. Capturing nature's mystique and the human condition has always been a fascination. In the past it was frustrating to depend on others to develop and print pictures leaving me with little control of the outcome. My creative urges had to be satisfied with snapshots and occasional enlargements of photos I particularly liked.
An engineer by training and corporate executive by profession, my career focus was on the application of technology to improve the world. Five things propelled my move into the world of art - appreciation, freedom, inspiration, realization, and power. First, viewing, studying and collecting art over the years developed my love and appreciation. Second, the freedom of retirement gave me time. Third, moving to the Mendocino Coast where I was surrounded by incredible natural beauty, art, and artists provided the inspiration. Fourth, studying fine woodworking at the Krenov School from 1994 to 1996 helped me develop an eye and realize I might have some talent. Fifth, the exciting advent and development of digital cameras, photo manipulation software and incredible, yet inexpensive printers with archival inks and museum quality photo papers, gave me the power to be in control of every aspect of creation from shooting to hanging the result on the wall. My goal is to use the vast array of digital technology to create art that might, in some small way, make the world a better place.
My art originates around our home on the ocean bluffs south of Fort Bragg and from our travels. The ocean and sunsets, myriad flowers, wild animals, birds and people provide a plethora of subjects. I let my imagination lead the way. Visual art is the creative product of artists interpreting their view of their physical world, their experience, or their emotion through the use and emphasis of color and form in a wide range of media. My technique for this expression is using digital photographs as the raw material that I alter and composite. The goal is to catch my audience's attention through subject matter, composition, and beauty, hold their attention, and bring them back for another look. When my work does this I have succeeded.
Most of my work is released as limited editions of ten.
My work can be seen at the Mendocino Coast Photographer Guild and Gallery in Fort Bragg, CA.