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I
am a 33 year old Canadian, and have lived in Halifax,
NS, Canada since 1975. I currently work half-time
in retail photo sales, with the rest of my time
dedicated to my fine art photography. I have been
involved with the arts since a very young age, mainly
due to my mother's career as an Arts Educator and artist.
I
share my life with my partner, the American poet, Joy
Yourcenar (who produces collaborative work with me here),
and her daughter.
I live on the top floor of a wonderful old house
(c.1878), which has a delightful garden and the coolest
paint scheme - rich purple and forest green. I have one
daughter, Emmaline who lives with her mother. When I'm
not working on my photography or at my day-job, I enjoy
hanging out with friends, listening to alternative/industrial
music and reading.
Photographic
Beginnings
I
received my first camera, an Olympus OM-10, when I was
seventeen, and began exploring photography using an
ill-equipped darkroom in my high school. From there, I
attended the Nova
Scotia College of Art and Design where I intended to
study sculpture but was sidetracked by photography.
Between 1987 and 1989 I attended the Art College
full-time, and between 1990 and 1995 I attended on a
part-time basis. In 1995, I became an Associate of the
Nova Scotia College of Art and Design. During my period
of study there, I worked with a variety of photo
instructors, including Robert Del Tredichi, George
Steeves, Gary Wilson and Alvin Comiter. I have also
studied independently with Daniel Kazimierski.
When
I started photography in 1986, I thought of it simply as
"taking photos". The idea of images as
art or personal expression was totally foreign to me,
and I hadn't even heard of Ansel Adams, let alone other
great(er) photo-visionaries. It was only in 1987, when I
started at art college, that I began to think of
photography as more than "just pictures".
For
the first three years or so, my work was a little
unfocused (I was a student after all), but I found
myself drawn to a number of subjects with similar
qualities. I worked extensively with industrial sites
and portraiture, both of which held a richness of
character to my eyes. Out of this work eventually
developed my current focus upon the Nude and the Ruin.
Turning
Points and Milestones
It
was not until 1988 that I made my first nude photographs,
and those were hesitant, floundering more than anything
else (I had drawn the nude since I was 14, but never had
the nerve to ask someone to model for me until I was
19). Since then, I have been concentrating more and more
of my creativity on the human figure, pursuing something
that is for me ever elusive, but at the same time, ever
present. In 1991, I began to use the view camera
extensively, and this, combined with enough spare time
to really work on my photography, pointed me in the
direction I still follow today. A good overview of
my first ten years of photography can be found in my Photo
Diary pages..
In
the late summer of 1995 I posted my first web site, the
great-grandfather of this one. It was my first foray
into digital imagery, and has proved a successful one by
almost any measure. I continue to expand and develop
this site, and think I have been successful at making
each new incarnation better than the one it replaced.
Since
the summer of 1997 I have been working with my partner,
Joy Yourcenar (whom I met in that same year), on visual
poetry, combining her words with my images. Our
collaborations can be found at icon/graphy.
Current
Directions
In
1999, I completed my first public portfolio, the Alberta
Portfolio, which marked a new step in my work.
Funded though an advanced offering of the portfolio, the
Alberta project was the most intense period of
photography in my life, and yielded a very strong body
of work. In 2001, I completed my second portfolio, Cassandra,
the Nova Scotia Portfolio.
The
largest shift in my working process in years took place
in 2001; I changed my main camera from a 4"x5"
view camera to an 8"x10", a larger camera
format which demands more from the photographer and
subject both. The strength that this new camera imparts
to my work will hopefully propel it forward for years to
come.
Photographic
Influences
Without
a doubt, I would say that Edward Weston was my biggest
influence. His work, both nudes and otherwise, have
always represented the highest ideal of visual
aesthetics for me. Other influences would be Robert
Mapplethorpe, Walker Evans, Joyce Tenneson, Joel-Peter
Witkin, Fredrick Evans, and Alfred Steiglitz (more for
his ideas and style, though for his images as well).
More than anything though, I'd say my biggest influence
would be the hundreds of photo books and magazines I've
poured through over the years, both for the
entertainment and the education they provided.
Other
Interests
Currently
I work with photography both for artistic expression and
for income, making it the central force in my life.
Besides photography, I enjoy web surfing (having a
cable-modem has distinct advantages) and some computer
games.
I
also am an avid reader and music consumer. By far my
preferred books (beside photo books) are Vampire fiction,
as they serve as a break from the more serious things in
life. My music ranges from the brilliant Polish composer
Gorecki to New Model Army, Therapy, Marilyn Manson,
Bjork, Nine Inch Nails, Ani DiFranco, Liz Phair, Ratsy
and the Smashing Pumpkins.
I
also have online a full CV.
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www.evolvingbeauty.com
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