Material Matters

Exhibit at the Vermont Supreme Court Gallery
111 State Street
Montpelier, Vermont

From April 5 to June 28, 2024
Opening Reception on April 5, 4 to 6PM
Here is a description of my mixed media process:

Step 1:  Adhere an archival print to a cradled board.

Step 2:  Apply a couple of layers of acrylic medium to protect the image and to add varying levels sheen and sometimes to add a little texture.  Since I like the look of encaustic, I add a tiny amount of acrylic paints to replicate the color of encaustic wax.

Step 3.  Paint portions of the image using acrylic paints, inks or pencil.  (This varies depending on the image.)

Step 4.   Add a couple more layers of acrylic medium.

Step 5.  Finish and protect surface of the piece with multiple layers of varnish.

 

My new work is comprised of photo collages with the addition of acrylic paint and media.
Vermont is my favorite place to live and to photograph. My hand-coloring highlights the special place that is Vermont.
Though I have spent half my life living in Vermont, I still feel like a city kid discovering Vermont for the first time whenever I walk out my door with my camera. I appreciate the quiet beauty of the slowly changing seasons. Fall is my favorite time. The earth shuts down bit by bit. Leaves fall, birds head south and animals scurry to prepare for the long winter. I love the quiet and the sound of distant crows warning us to get ready. Then more silence and then another leaf falls from a tree and an animal rustles in the weeds. No matter what is going on in the world, the cycle repeats itself. It seems so simple and so perfect. This set of painterly photographs I hope captures the peace and simplicity of a Vermont fall and I hope will further an appreciation of the abundance around us if we listen closely enough to what the animals and land is telling us.

This portfolio concentrates on the wonderful road culture that grow up before the interstate highways were constructed. Funky motels with neon signs, old gas stations, and mom and pop eateries.

Hand-tinted photographs of pastoral views and pastoral buildings
I went to Cuba in December 2014 right before President Obama made his historic announcement about his intention of resuming U.S. relations with Cuba.  After hearing the announcement, I knew I wanted to return to Cuba as soon as possible.  My fear was Cuba would change rapidly.  Right now, it is caught in a time capsule, where large heavy 50's cars rule the road; the buildings are charming and ornate and the island is slow paced.

 

I love traveling through small town America.  Many towns are slowly fading away as younger generations move to urban areas for school and high paying jobs.  When I pass through these fading towns, I enjoy finding the classic signage and places so there is a record of what was important to us.

Each digital photograph is printed with archival eco-friendly inks and paper. Enjoy!

These images are of ancient Armenian ruins in what is now eastern Turkey.   While the structures are slowly crumbling, I believe I could the spirit of each structure. (More photos to come).  Edition size for each photograph is 15. The photographs are printed professionally by Cone Editions, which uses only archival eco-friendly inks and paper.