Florida Artists Group

Artist Statement:

World Weariness and Earned Wisdom

The parallels between a city such as Rome, with its feminine and aged qualities, and that of a woman in her later years are undeniable. Both the city and the photographer possess a combination of world weariness and a certain amount of earned wisdom which proved to be irresistible to the photographer. After seeing The Great Beauty, a film set in Rome which features a protagonist just turning sixty five, a return to the Eternal City became a necessity. The photographer, having also reached sixty five, embarked on a project with an aged Rome and its environs as the subject.
The images are examples of a city that exudes operatic sadness and a sense of cinematic poetry. Obscure, remote areas were employed more often than not. Street musicians, ordinary people, antiquities and local shops were chosen as subjects. Quiet moments of nothing in particular were selected. Aging encourages slowing down, enjoying the commonplace. As the character in the film says, “I was destined for a life of sensibility.” The resulting group of images portrays a certain way of seeing. Observations of the tactile, sometimes emotional melancholy of sensibility and aging.

Artist Bio:

I am a photographer who always wanted to be a filmmaker. At the age of fifteen I saw The Manchurian
Candidate and was forever changed. Films became something more to me. I saw compositions, tones of black and white and thematic purpose. At the time, I couldn’t articulate those early observations, but eventually I did. Photography provided a way to see the world cinematically. I have been photographing for the last thirty years, primarily in black and white.
For the last three years I have been working on the notion of thematic purpose within the structure of a photographic project. I explore a set of ideas (inspired by films, books, poetry, etc.) and photograph scenes. An artist’s statement accompanies the project, which enables the viewer to have an understanding of my
intentions. Invariably, film and the influences of favored directors are referenced. I continue to photograph on the street, make portraits and landscapes but the emphasis is now on themed projects. I cannot escape it or maybe it cannot escape me. Engagement of the viewer, exploration of themes and interpretive
conflict are my primary concerns.

Education:

University of Oklahoma, College of Arts and Science Brookdale Community College, College of Fine Arts Montclair State University, College of Fine Arts

Exhibits:

Museums
January 31 to April 26, 2015 Baker Museum of Art-Contemporary Artists Show-Fifteen Artists Selected-Three Pieces Exhibited
Solo Exhibits
May 30 to July 1, 2015 Guild of the Creative Art (New Jersey)-Presented Two Projects-Doorways of Janus and Visual Role of Shadow
Group Shows
2015 Bonita Springs Art League-Juried Member Show
2014 Artists in Common Group Show at Finemark Bank
2014 Artists in Common Group Show
2014 Bonita Springs Art League-Juried Bits and Pieces Group Show 2014 Bonita Springs Art League-Juried Oddities Group Show
2014 Guild of the Creative Art-Exhibiting Member Show (Honorable Mention)
2014 Torche Gallery, Belmar, NJ-Group Show
2014 Guild of the Creative Art-Shrewsbury Group Show (Honorable Mention)
2014 Guild of the Creative Art-Annual Juried Show
2014 Art Alliance-Annual Juried Show
2013 Bonita Springs Art League-Juried Member Show (Second Place and Award of Merit)
2013 Bonita Springs Art League-Juried Get Squared Group Show
2013 Bonita Springs Art League-Juried Portrait Group Show (Sixth Place) 2013 Guild of the Creative Art-Garden Party Group Show (Honorable Mention)
2013 Guild of the Creative Art-Group Member Show
2013 Guild of the Creative Art-Annual Open Juried Show (Honorable Mention)
2013 Guild of the Creative Art-Edgy Group Show
2013 Artists in Common-Group Show

Workshops:
2012 to Present-Mentor Program with Adam Marelli, New York City-One to One, New York City
2015 Portfolio Improvement Workshop with Adam Marelli, New York City
2015 Women Only Workshop with Nancy Ori, Cape May, New Jersey 2014 Summer Workshop with Rune Egenes At Exhibit 9 Gallery, New Jersey
2014 Big Island Workshop with Doug Beasley, Hawaii
2013 Kyoto Workshop with Adam Marelli, Kyoto, Japan:
Best Designers Midwest Region Award CA magazine 1980,81,83,86,91
2013 Brookdale Community College Photography Workshop with Keven Burkitt, Lincroft, New Jersey
2013 Night Photography with Gabriel Biderman, Woodstock Photographic Center, Woodstock, New York
2013 Street Photography with Alex and Rebecca Norris-Webb, Woodstock Photographic Center, Woodstock, New York
2013 Photography Workshop with Nancy Ori, Berkeley Heights, New Jersey
2013 Spirit of the Artist Workshop with Visions Photographic, Avon, New Jersey
2013 Iceland Workshop with Daniel Bergman
2012 Highline Workshop with Visions Photographic, New York City
2012 Nightscapes Workshop with Visions Photographic, Hoboken, New Jersey
2012 Zen and the Art of Photography with Doug Beasley, Woodstock Photographic Center, Woodstock, New York
2012 On the Boardwalk Workshop with Visions Photographic, Asbury Park, New Jersey
2012 Lightroom Workshop with Tom Lopez, Naples Florida
2012 Art League Workshop with Garth Francis, Bonita Springs, Florida 2012 Sanibel Workshop With Tom Lopez, Sanibel, Florida
2011 Zen and Photography Workshop with the Open Center, New York City
2011 Highline and Harlem Photography Workshop with the Open Center, New York City

Memberships:

Bonita Springs Art League (Florida)
Exhibiting Member of the Guild of the Creative Art (New Jersey) Artist in Common (Florida)
Museum of Modern Art (New York City)
Whitney Museum of Art (New York City)
Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York City)
International Center of Photography (New York City)
Artis-Naples (Florida)
Morikami (Florida)
Corkscrew Sanctuary (Florida)