Product Details

Photographs

  Each photographic print is made using a state of the art process called Light Jet printing. The process uses colored lasers to expose light sensitive photographic paper. The paper is then developed as any hand crafted print in a gallery would be. This means that you are getting a genuine photographic print rather than an ink jet print that uses dye technology. The Light Jet process gives the colors, depth, and resolution comparable to any traditional photographic print which uses the original negative and an enlarger.

  This also ensures the safety and consistency of the image you receive. The prints are made from a digital file rather than a negative. In this arrangement there is no wear and tear on the negative, and no visual inconsistencies from print to print. Print number three hundred will look just as crisp and vibrant as print number one. The paper is rated to last a minimum of 60 years.

  I have been photographing the American Southwest since 2002. Having grown up in Arizona I was familiar with most of the National Monuments in the state. I already owned a Pentax K1000 and over the years gotten 50mm, 35mm, and an 80-200mm  zoom lenses. When I set out to photograph landscapes I purchased two more cameras, a Rolleicord Twin Reflex medium format camera made circa 1940, and a Russian made Horizon panoramic 35mm camera made circa 1980.

  I received a fine arts degree in Media Arts, and being on several professional film sets my photographic background was in motion pictures. I borrow both technique and method from those experiences. I plan a route which is never more than seven to nine days long, usually during the monsoon season - when skies are their most dramatic. Usually this route will take me through several National Monuments and Parks as they are grouped closely throughout Northern Arizona and Southern Utah. When at a location I develop a plan of attack for the time that I will be there. I drive and/or hike to vantage points where I feel the possibilities for a good photo are best. I select which camera or cameras are best suited and which speed and type (black and white, or color) of film will provide for the most interesting photos. I then incorporate the the principle of "coverage" from filmmaking. I shoot the scene from as many different angles and framings as possible.

  At any given location, particularly the Grand Canyon, there may be three to five areas of interest or action just in one spot. All I have to do is take a quarter turn to the left or right and there is a whole new scene. In filmmaking often times filters and special effects have to take the place of real weather because time and budgetary constraints make it unfeasible to wait for the "perfect" moment to take a shot. Likewise, I use a variety of colored filters to accentuate, exaggerate, dramatize, or totally fabricate the colors in the frame. I made a full set of colored filters myself from theater lighting gel sample books, and have been able to get a much broader range of colors than available commercially at a fraction of the price.

Giclee Prints

  The paintings you see are printed on your choice of acid free art paper or heavy duty pre-primed canvas in a number of sizes. The dyes are archival quality and fade resistant for up to 80 years. I have overseen the test printing and worked to ensure the most faithful reproductions possible. Personally, I am amazed at the results. These prints have preserved with exquisite detail the texture, tones, and mood of the original paintings.

   I am a self taught painter, and have been painting with oils since 1997. This process started with watching PBS programs and continued with books on basic and beginning methods. Later I received a book called "Techniques of the Great Masters of Art" published by Quantum Books as a gift and incorporated a variety of painting methods. I am what would best be categorized as an "automatic" painter. This technique was used by surrealist poets and painters of the 20's and 30's.

  The paintings are original works done in oil on primed masonite. I purchase masonite from a hardware store and cut the larger four by eight feet sheets down to standard frame sizes. I prime them with several coats of white gesso. Essentially, I do not come to the picture with any preconceived notion of what I will paint. By sketching randomly in thin layers of browns or dark colors I create a general composition, creating areas of lightness and darkness. From there I fill in and define the spaces with successive layers of thinned paint, building and altering to a final image. I paint indoors and use virtually no reference photos, primarily because I do not know what I am painting until I paint it. The only paintings that do not follow this model are the abstract and impressionist works. Those are done impromptu with impasto technique.