Artist’s Statement

My fascination with photography began with my first instamatic, my constant companion on bike rides around my hometown of Mt. Vernon, Ohio. Every subject was fair game as I developed my photographic curiosity and technique. Ultimately, I embraced my passion as my life. Some of my early professional work included musical theater and opera, which introduced me to a new world while shooting production stills in New York City. I then worked in Boston for a graphic arts company that created multi-image productions for large corporations during the 1980s. As the lead camera operator, I experimented with state of the art graphics equipment and photographic materials before the advent of Photoshop and digital techniques. I mastered rare techniques utilizing Kodaliths, hand painted cells, animation-stand cameras, and light to create layered images that transcend standard photography. It was an ideal marriage to combine these materials and techniques with images of the Grateful Dead as they too took their art beyond the expected. The quality and vision inherent in my work led to professional opportunities working with, Candace Brightman, the Lighting Design Director for the Grateful Dead.

I created images that accompanied the light show and the music for over a ten-year span (1985-1995). I assembled hundreds of images for animated, multi-image productions shown directly behind the band geared to enhance the musical dialog with the crowd. Two of these events were produced for the legendary New Year’s Eve shows. Other images I created were projected onto a pair of four-story high theatrical scrims on either side of the stage. I integrated nature scenes and graphic details to create new imagery that challenged the audience’s perception of the backcountry that I loved.

The range of my career has been wide and dynamic. It includes work such as portraits, documentation of other artists’ work, advertising, events, and documentaries. My photos have been included in numerous published materials including six books and seen in galleries in my current hometown Seattle, Washington. I like to work quietly and deliberately in the studio to “illuminate” the soul of a subject with exact and delicate lighting and positioning. I also like to shoot live events that require anticipation, timing, instinct, experience, and aesthetic sensibility to create beautiful, spontaneous pictures that reflect my signature vision.

The alchemy and richness of my life experience enables me to produce art that generates a distinct visual narrative and dialogue that speaks directly to the heart and mind of the audience. I strive to transcend ordinary views of the world to add dimension and understanding, to open the door to possibility. Take a look, it’s more than a thousand words.

Create the story with the depth of an image. 

Using . . . Ease and Insight, Tools and Techniques,
Engaging Subjects