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March 2007 Artist's Letter
March 2007 Artist's Letter
Much has changed with my photographic work in the last 12 months. Since technology has forced me to look at new ways of doing my work, I am at a crossroads. I dearly love being in the darkroom, comforted by the sounds of my Jobo working away for me and the feel of the negatives in my hands. But now I cannot buy the chemistry and paper that made the photographic process magical for me. My prints don’t have the visual quality that kept me curious in the past.
I thought for months that I was done with the whole idea of photography, but now I find a stirring that asks for time to contemplate where I will go next with my imagery. I have begun to use my images as inspiration for short stories, as well as, a reason to take time to shoot work for an artist’s date. This self indulgent activity has proven to get my creative juices flowing for new work. But alas, I have finally come to the point that I must seriously consider going digital. I have to make this choice for many reasons, the most important one being that I have become much more aware of the amount of water I use to create traditional prints. I must also consider the chemistry that must be disposed of in order to make those prints.
As I spend some of my off time promoting sustainability, I can no longer allow myself to continue with my old ways of creating work and in turn creating waste that pollutes the planet. However, my ambivalence about just how wasteful digital cameras could be continues to worry in the back of my mind. As this technology mirrors the design, manufacturing and sales of computers, I am concerned about the possibility of having to dispose of a Nikon when the technology becomes obsolescent. I love the idea that film cameras had a longer use life than computer hardware does and I hope that the camera manufacturing industry will keep that in mind as they design the latest new innovations of their products.
So until I am able to present new work to the world at large, I have decided to offer my images as a place for online visitors to find time for meditation and inspiration. I will offer these images for stock usage as illustrations for books, etc. I have used some of these images already in my new book “Marketing Your Creative Work: A workbook for Visual Artists, Writers and Artisans” which you can find on this website, as well as, information about ongoing workshops I am currently teaching throughout Oregon.
Since I will sell my prints as limited edition pieces only as the need arises, interested parties can contact me by email or phone to discuss those details on specific purchases. In the meantime, please continue to enjoy my images and contact me if you have any feedback…Thank you for your interest in my work!