Artists Registry
British Columbia Canada
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Artist's Statement
Statement of Work
Photo Background
The photo. "Twin Towers and Liberation Monument" was taken in 1991, many years before the tragedy at the World Trade Center. At the time, I was experimenting with some black and white film and thought that this would make a nice photo composition. Once developed, the negatives found their way into a filing drawer and did not see the light of day for many years. In the time following 9-11-2001, I recalled that I had some images of the World Trade Centre buried in a file and decided to dig them out. In doing so, I came across this image and was overcome with a very eerie sensation. Why? The day I took these images out of the file was the day after the U.S. had begun the war with Iraq. Suddenly, the image of the soldier, rescuing a fellow human being from a tragic situation, with the Twin Towers in the background , had much more meaning to it than it did when it was a simple snapshot back in 1991.
The Liberation Monument was designed by noted sculptor Nathan Rappaport and is located at the South Overlook in Liberty State Park in New Jersey. "Liberation" depicts an unarmed World War 2 American soldier carrying a survivor out of a Nazi concentration camp. It is a reminder of the past and an inspiration for freedom, compassion, and hope for future generations. It is my hope that this photograph expresses those same sentiments.
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A Little Bit About Me...
Born in Rockford, Illinois, I spent much of my early childhood exploring the museums and attractions of Chicago, the beaches of Lake Michigan, and the backwoods of northern Indiana. After moving to Canada in 1972, I went on to complete a B.Sc. and M.Sc. in physical geography and geology, from which I gained an appreciation and understanding of the diverse physical features and cultures found in the world – an appreciation that is reflected in many of my images.
Extensive opportunities for travel throughout Canada, the United States, Mexico, the Caribbean and Europe have provided me with a variety of subject matter over the years.
I truly believe that the difference between a "nice" photo and a truly great photo, is first, seeing what everybody sees, but then having the ability to see what others do not. With this in mind, I try to look for the "detail" in a scene, or else concentrate on other aspects such as dramatic color, texture, composition or lighting. The right combination of these factors, result, I hope, in images that provide unique and unusual perspectives on otherwise ordinary subjects.
Technically, my images are rather simple. I do not use filters of any kind, instead relying on natural and ambient light and composition to "make the scene." Occasionally, in the process of scanning a slide or a negative, I will make slight adjustments to adjust for contrast or brightness, but generally, what you see in the image, is what I saw through the viewfinder when taking the photograph.
I have been fortunate enough to have my work showcased at a number of venues. This included an exhibition entitled "Arizona Abstract" at the Cornwall, Ontario Regional Art Gallery, which featured a number of abstract architectural and landscape images, as well as the "Art and the Environment" exhibition hosted by Environment Canada in Burlington, Ontario, featuring a number of landscape and scenic images. My photos have been published in the McMaster University Silhouette Newspaper, the 1983-1984 McMaster Yearbook, the Canadian Weather Trivia Calendar, Canadian Yachting Magazine, the Saanich News, and a number of scientific journals and professional publications. My work also resides in private collections throughout North America, Australia, Germany, Greece and the UK.
I reside, with my wife and two sons, in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.