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With no formal art education (but with a lifetime of learing through art galleries and museums), I am a prolific reader and photographer, most influenced by Walker Evans' Farm Security Agency projects, and David Plowden's splendid contemporary photographs of rural and working America. My primary effort is to record Maine: interiors, artifacts and architecture, work and waterfront, attempting creative interpretations in strong, high contrast compositions with ironic or complex features. Sometimes my photographs document; sometimes they tell stories, but always, I strive for a particular personailty and artistry in my work. I much prefer the tactile and deliberate nature of the film process over digital, and for me, black and white images cut to the essence of the subject. A note about Barbara's/Alzheimer's Gallery: my intent was to record her struggle to live a full life at home and about. But in January 2012, after 13 years of solo caregiving, I became exhausted, and placed Barbara at St. Andrew's Village in Boothbay Harbor, Maine, so ending the series.
"Some people are still unaware that reality contains unparalled beauties" ...Berenice Abbott
Exhibits and Shows: numerous juried and solo exhibits throughout midcoast Maine Award: Ike Royer Memorial Scholarship for Traditional Black and White Photography (Maine Media Workshops) 2009 |
Though late to photography, it has become a joy and a passion for me. Choices in photography abound, and I have journeyed through cameras and themes, and from color to monochrome. I am now firmly settled on the challenges of black and white film photography, processing and printing at my Damariscotta, Maine home-studio.