How did you come to your particular artmaking practice? Did any people or experiences put you on the path to working in your particular genre or combination of genres? What motivates you to make the work that you do, in the way you do it?

Growing up surrounded by people working in all sorts of art genres seemed normal to me as a child. My parents encouraged us to explore different disciplines and discover what we enjoyed most and for which we had an aptitude. My father’s interest in photography and home movies, at a time that very few families had cameras, offered me the opportunity to do something that none of my friends were doing. The uniqueness of that alone was very appealing.

The early freedom to explore lead to a lifetime of experimentation and development of my skills in a variety of techniques including all forms of traditional photography, scientific and technical photography, 3D, Infrared, Photomicrography, Astrophotography, and others. I was fortunate to be in the right place at the right time at the beginning of the development of digital imaging technology and have been able to grow with the technology and continue to explore in new ways.

Do you have any “minor” or secondary art practices — i.e., genres or modes you work in, which might not be your dominant mode, but have a special place in your heart? How do these modes relate to your “major” practice?

In addition to my interest and career(s) in photography, video, and related fields, I have also been a working musician, starting from a very young age. Music has been a career and an avocation throughout my life.
These two practices have always coexisted such that while making a living in music, I was also actively creating art with various forms of photography. When my career was focused more on photography, I was also actively performing as a musician.

Because these two arts have always coexisted it is impossible to separate them as primary and secondary. Both have provided careers and wonderful opportunities for me and in some ways have inspired one another or, at times provided an alternative focus and escape.

Any ideas for your artists’ talk or public program at the end of the month, so far, that you want to tease here? What can readers look forward to?  

Some of the photographic work that I plan to create for the Terradise residency will involve the use of specialized equipment and techniques. In my workshop/presentation I plan to discuss and demonstrate
the equipment and techniques used but will also encourage the participants to explore ways to make photographs in nature with whatever equipment they have.

Depending on time and the interest of the participants, I hope for them to be able to apply some of what I present immediately by taking some photographs at Terradise and then having a group discussion/critique.

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY