ARTIST’S STATEMENT
(Prepared for Cabrillo Exhibition (August 2005 - September 2005)

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At first I tried golf, but the repetitive stress of hitting lots of balls to get better hurt, and I didn’t get better. I enjoyed the out of doors, the beauty of the courses, and the people with whom I played (most especially Dan, Brian, John, Jim and Suzie). But a few bad shots in golf can get you into a world of trouble. I began to think about working at something more joyful and resulting in a product more meaningful than a 90 something scorecard. I began to return to my dream of more artistic endeavors, particularly photography. I was comforted by the notion that one good shot in photography, unlike golf, trumps a number of bad shots. My golf widow wife encouraged these thoughts.

Three semesters ago I began to take photography classes at Cabrillo College. Up to that time my photography was self taught. I studied under three very good instructors: Gordon Hammer, Ted Orland, and Victoria May. Gordon Hammer taught me the basics of 35mm black and white, manually shoot, develop, and print photography. More important he introduced me to higher standards, helped me begin to look more closely at my work so I could conscientiously develop intention and purpose with the shot, better understand compositional basics, and process my prints to enhance the image. Ted Orland introduced me to digital photography, the wonders of Photoshop and was a prime impetus in my decision to work digitally. He also read to us, argued the importance of writing about our art, and explored with us the challenges of being an artist. Victoria May extended and exercised my understanding of Photoshop, consistently presented the work of a variety of photographic artists, urged more multimedia expression, and gave a midterm that upset me enough that I actually began to think seriously about my artistic purpose: In writing my response I finally began to articulate what I am about in my art:

For me photography is about expressing my point of view as clearly, elegantly, and beautifully as I can. I tend to look for the beauty that surrounds us—mostly in nature, but sometimes in people and the works of man—capture what my heart sees (I love the experience of being “out there” and “ in it”) and bring back images that reflect this experience and the sense of wonderment that comes with it. I am coming to understand that this is the way I worship God, or the creative force, and give thanks for the privilege of being here. The process and products of this work are what I believe may be at the core of one of the best expressions of who I am and what I want to accomplish with my life.

At the same time I was taking courses at Cabrillo, I had the good fortune to renew contact with Gordon Leighton, extraordinary artist and printmaker, who I knew as a fellow faculty member and art/photography teacher at Aptos High School. Gordon has become a good friend and my chief mentor over the past year. He has given me countless hours of advice and feedback on my equipment, photography and art; he has helped me begin to see things that I would otherwise not have seen. And if that were not enough he has shared his tools and studio with me and helped me build my own studio.