Artist Statement

ARTIST STATEMENT

I have been directly or indirectly involved in photography as far back as I can remember. It wasn’t until I moved to California in the early 1980’s however, that I became aware of the potential for the media to capture more than just a pretty picture of the landscape, person, or event. Because of my choice of schools (Brooks Institute of Photography), proximity to galleries (Santa Barbara and Carmel) and my natural inclination toward subject matter (landscape), my creative awakening was strongly influenced by the masters of West Coast style photography. Strong roots in the classic West Coast style have given me a mastery of the technical craft of photography. This grounding has enabled me to explore paths away from the traditional esthetic. These paths have lead me to seek emotional impact over technical perfection. Much of my current work explores the line between Natural Reality, which depends on physical form and Abstract Reality, which depends on intrinsic form. For me, the image needs to go beyond the physical presence of a subject and explore its essential nature. Working with both natural and human elements, I use the play of light and shadow to create ambiguity. This ambiguity challenges the viewer to go beyond the physical form, using their own feelings, emotions, and experiences to bring deeper understanding. As an artist I am continually exploring my feelings and challenging my perceptions. It is through the process of examining my internal and external environment that my work flows. Looking back at the body of work I have created over the past twenty years the threads running throughout are simplicity and strong graphic elements. While that simplicity and organization are not necessarily reflections of what is inside of me at any given time, they are manifestations of my desires for emotional calm and simplicity. True to my roots, I still feel that when it comes time to transform the image from vision to reality, nothing can match the richness of tones achieved in a traditional silver gelatin print. This richness creates a visual and tactile quality that has the power to draw the viewer in. Each image is printed and processed by hand using traditional (non-digital) photographic techniques. It is important to me that the artist’s hand be present in every phase of the process. *-Philip*

ARTIST STATEMENT

I have been directly or indirectly involved in photography as far back as I can remember. It wasn’t until I moved to California in the early 1980’s however, that I became aware of the potential for the media to capture more than just a pretty picture of the landscape, person, or event. Because of my choice of schools (Brooks Institute of Photography), proximity to galleries (Santa Barbara and Carmel) and my natural inclination toward subject matter (landscape), my creative awakening was strongly influenced by the masters of West Coast style photography.

Strong roots in the classic West Coast style have given me a mastery of the technical craft of photography. This grounding has enabled me to explore paths away from the traditional esthetic. These paths have lead me to seek emotional impact over technical perfection.

Much of my current work explores the line between Natural Reality, which depends on physical form and Abstract Reality, which depends on intrinsic form. For me, the image needs to go beyond the physical presence of a subject and explore its essential nature. Working with both natural and human elements, I use the play of light and shadow to create ambiguity. This ambiguity challenges the viewer to go beyond the physical form, using their own feelings, emotions, and experiences to bring deeper understanding.

As an artist I am continually exploring my feelings and challenging my perceptions. It is through the process of examining my internal and external environment that my work flows. Looking back at the body of work I have created over the past twenty years the threads running throughout are simplicity and strong graphic elements. While that simplicity and organization are not necessarily reflections of what is inside of me at any given time, they are manifestations of my desires for emotional calm and simplicity.

True to my roots, I still feel that when it comes time to transform the image from vision to reality, nothing can match the richness of tones achieved in a traditional silver gelatin print. This richness creates a visual and tactile quality that has the power to draw the viewer in. Each image is printed and processed by hand using traditional (non-digital) photographic techniques. It is important to me that the artist’s hand be present in every phase of the process.

-Philip