About Page

Artist Statement

After receiving a Master's Degree in civil engineering, I worked in that field for 22 years. During the final 12 years of that career I became heavily involved in the use of computers and in the development of engineering design software. That transition led me to a second technical career with a global manufacturing corporation, where I developed civil engineering, land surveying and construction automation software. I have worked in that field for over 12 years now.

During most of that time I thought that I was drawn to engineering, and later to software development, by the technical challenges. However, there came a day when I realized that I was, in fact, more motivated by the creative aspects of those careers, limited though they were. That recognition occurred as an epiphany. One day, while thinking about many of the most memorable experiences in my life, I realized that most shared a particular quality. Those memories were of me having made or built something that was widely enjoyed and appreciated by others. Those experiences went back into childhood and continue to the present. They included a wide diversity of creative ventures beyond those found in the above noted careers. I suddenly realized that I was not truly happy unless I was in the midst of creating something special. That understanding occurred at about the same time that I found myself attracted, for the first time, to photography.

In following my senses as a photographer I found myself intensely interested in subjects that I had overlooked my entire life; landscapes, wildlife, insects, flowers and a myriad of things on which engineers rarely dwell in thought. While all of these subjects were made by the ultimate creator, I found my creative outlet in capturing their images and turning that captured light into a unique creation of my own. Suddenly, the environment was more than something to be protected; it was something to be enjoyed and celebrated. For the first time in my life I became a wildlife hunter; not to destroy it, but to enjoy it. I found that I could barely walk past a flower without looking at how it was lighted. Photography has changed me as a person, allowing me the fulfillment of creating something special, while presenting technical issues every bit as challenging as any I'd experienced in my engineering and software careers.

I enjoy the time spent in search of a subject, especially the excitement that overcomes me as I approach or encounter wildlife, hoping to get the shot within the often fleeting moment in which my unwitting partner cooperates. I love the excitement of seeing the initial raw image on screen for the first time, while recalling the conditions that led to its capture. The challenge of perfecting the image through a complex digital workflow drives me to always push the envelope, as I continually expand my skills. I look forward to the thrill of seeing the first print of a limited edition fine art work, having spent the hours, days or even weeks needed to optimally present the captured image. But most of all, I love experiencing the reaction of those who see the final product displayed.

You'll find my art work to fall into two creative categories - photographs and photo-based digital art. My photographs are faithful presentations of the captured image. My digital art involves computer generated alterations of some portion of the photograph, often combined with elements that remain true to the captured image. In some cases, the differences between the true and altered elements are distinct, even stark. In others, one may have great difficulty in differentiating between what is real and what isn't. Many may not even notice that important elements of the work are actually unidentifiable. In those later works, that deception adds greatly to the intrigue as one studies the image. In such cases, the individual artist statement that is presented on the certificate of authenticity accompanying each limited addition work typically alludes to matters of reality, perception, deception, sensation, or intuition, providing a hint as to some special and secret quality of the image. In each such instance, I promise to reveal the secret, once the limited edition of each image is sold out.