Welcome!

 I am an artist who uses a camera, or am I a photographer who uses my art experience to create images.  Which came first...the chicken or the egg?  Who knows!  

Although, I have used brushes, pastels, etc. to create, nothing has produced the passion more than that of the camera.  Cameras have been a constant in my life, from the Brownie that I used as a child at the zoo (took weird photos of a camel's weird hooves...sign of things to come?), to the Konica that traveled with me around the world, to the new digital cameras that I use today.

One of the most important things that I learned in art school was to see.  There is seeing and there is "seeing".  It's important in drawing as where you put that line can determine whether your object will be flat or 3-dimensional.  The use of paint teaches you the nuances of color.  Is the red that you are using a cool red or a warm red?  Which colors when put next to each other create what feeling?   One of my professors (Peter Mendez) told me that his favorite color was gray and that he loved all of the colors that he saw in the grays.  He would look at the clouds and describe the colors that he saw.  I still look at gray skies and try to see the colors that he saw.  Not so easy to do!

Why am I talking about drawing and painting?  Well, it has had a huge influence on the type of art that I create which is photography but often looks more like a watercolor or pastel (so I've been told).  My next post will include one of my photographs (which should help give you an idea about these influences) and some thoughts on creating.