ARTIST'S STATEMENT
For years, I have focused on the portrayal of light in the landscape as it appears through the use of black and white infrared film. This material (which is sensitive to both the visible spectrum and infrared light, the latter of which is not perceived by the human eye) accentuates the contrast between light and shadow, thereby increasing the sense of drama and mystery intrinsic to the world around us. Use of this film affords me the opportunity to venture into arenas where "what we see" is not necessarily "what we get." Attempting to articulate a sense of the surreal, I have been accustomed to printing my images on 20" x 24" silver gelatin fiber-based paper and toning these photographs in a selenium solution to further preserve and enhance the work. Currently, I am also utilizing the archival digital processes in the form of pigment prints as an alternative to the aforementioned silver prints. This latter process makes it easier for me to create images of varying sizes. In addition, the availability of many different kinds of papers and inks provides choices that are critical to the presentation of my photography.In my photographs, the elements of the invisible and immeasurable are added to the image area to produce surprises that may be frightening or exhilarating or both. After all, many aspects of life are beyond our control. My method of working is reflective of this tension between knowing and uncertainty. As a corollary, my interest in the historical and spiritual aspects of the landscape is central to my pursuit. I like to re-visit places with which I have become familiar, since the passage of time has a way of changing not only the surroundings but the viewer, as well.
In the end, an artist focuses on his or her concerns or passions. Mine have always included a fear of and fascination with the unknown. For many years, I photographed in cemeteries, probably because it was an oblique way of dealing with death and all the attendant feelings. I have also pushed the boundaries of my work in the darkroom, producing gold-toned contact prints, split-toning when there were fiber papers that would allow it, using Berg-Brown toners, creating photograms, making paper negatives, printing on "Translite" (a translucent material which could be lit from behind, using a lightbox), utilizing solarization, and so on.
Throughout the years during which I have been working as a photographer, I have sought to go beyond the ordinary or routine, thereby enlarging and enhancing experience. Using various types of equipment and materials provides information that transcends perceptive capabilities. All of this has served to point up the nexus between the world as we "see" it and where our imagination might lead us. In terms of my work, I am always wondering about the tensions between the compositions I formulate and the surprises I can expect. What, in that precious space, will eventually reveal itself?