Statement
“I don’t know where I’m from.”
The concept of place fascinates me after having been relocated several times during my upbringing.
The feeling of not having a hometown informs my photography. I wait for dramatic light and atmosphere to rivalthe essential curiosity and excitement of how I see the world. Creating a body of work displaying these connections helps the world seem more unified.
Biography
Why are there so many flat horizon lines in my work? I grew up in western Kansas.
Why am I so fascinated with rocky landscapes of the southwest? I grew up in western Kansas.
My upbringing is peppered with small towns, and a couple cities. Instead of feeling disconnected, that constant relocation across Kansas and Oklahoma instilled in me a powerful interest in the concept of place.
Didn’t everybody have a darkroom in their house? My earliest memory with photography was around age 7 when my father invited me to keep him company in the darkroom. At that age, seeing a white sheet of paper turn into a photograph is magic. Everywhere we moved, my father taught high school yearbook, and that sense of magic followed it. The only formal training I have in photography is from enrolling in the yearbook class.
My photographic interest lay dormant as I pursued other interests (oil painting, design, architecture, computer science, marketing.) That indecisiveness led my photography to be aimless until my senior year of college: A three-week painting class in Tuscany permanently changed how I saw the world. Upon returning home, my surroundings became as fascinating as if I saw them for the first time. Long distances became closer, and seemingly different places revealed their intrinsic connection.
2003 - Received Bachelor of Fine Arts from Oklahoma State University
2004 to 2007 - Honed the craft. Aligned all my interests into supporting digital photography.
2008 - Started participating in art shows
2008 - Started offering commercial photographic services (architecture and real estate)
Since 2008, I have offered my work at over 80 art festivals in the area, and won a dozen awards.
I currently live in Stillwater, Oklahoma. (That’s where I keep all my stuff!)
In addition to fine art, I also offer my photographic services to construction, design, and real estate companies around Oklahoma.
Process
The camera, blissfully unaware of every other aspect of a photograph, happily captures light from the scene. Where development software sees the world in stoic megapixels, we see stunning color, nostalgia, and whimsy. All photos are shot, developed, printed, painstakingly scrutinized, and assembled by me, at my home studio. Finished pieces are presented on a variety of heavy cotton papers and canvas.
One-Liners, and Random Quotes
Shoot when you feel it, not just when you see it.
Lots of people talk. Few people speak. Lots of people take pictures. Few people shoot photographs.
Don't just take pictures that ask, "What do you think? Does this work? Is this okay?" Your goal is to shoot with confidence: create photographs which demand attention, grab the viewer by the scruff of the neck and say, "Here! Look!"
My favorite piece of camera equipment is my shoes. They get me there comfortably.
If photography steals your soul, then I'm sorry to hear that your soul only consists of reflected light. :)
When one part of your brain communicates with another part of your brain, what language does it use?
Awards
2018 - Tulsa, OK - Utica Square - Art in the Square - Best of Show
2017 - Stillwater, OK - Stillwater Art Festival - Best of Show
2016 - Ponca City, OK - Ponca City Art Festival - Best of Show
2012 - Tulsa, OK - Utica Square - Art in the Square - Honorable Mention
2012 - Oklahoma City, OK - Paseo Arts Festival - Award of Excellence, Level II
2012 - Stillwater, OK - Stillwater Medical Center Foundation, 2012 Art For the Heart Photographic Art Show - Director's Choice
2012 - Edmond, OK - Downtown Edmond Arts Festival - 3rd Place (Overall)
2011 - Norman, OK - Norman May Fair - 1st Place Photography
2011 - Stillwater, OK - Arts & Heritage Festival - 1st Place 2D
2010 - Oklahoma City, OK - Arts Festival Oklahoma - Purchase Award
2010 - Stillwater, OK - Arts & Heritage Festival - 2nd Place Photography
2009 - Oklahoma City, OK - Arts Festival Oklahoma - Award of Excellence (Fine Art)
2009 - Stillwater, OK - Stillwater Art Guild - Dorothy Harrison Cup
2008 - Tulsa, OK - Utica Square - Art in the Square - Honorable Mention
2008 - Weatherford, OK - Southwest Festival of the Arts - 1st Place Photography