TM
My earliest formal education in photography came at age 16. It was a summer program run by the CEPA Gallery in Buffalo, NY. It was sponsored by the Polaroid Corporation, and taught by Peter Layton. While I may not have understood them at the time, Peter taught me several lessons that have served me well over the years. He taught me early on to be disciplined and ensure that each image was fine-tuned in the darkroom to reach its full potential. The true importance of this discipline, and the meaning of his discussions of the emotion and feeling involved in the creation of images, have come vividly to the front of my mind as I have matured and transitioned my thought processes from that of taking pictures to that of creating art.
Later, I was fortunate enough to work for James Cavanaugh, an accomplished photographer, who became a mentor and friend through the early years. He taught me the importance of technical mastery of the craft of photography and helped expose me to others that would help me learn how to see, feel and create the images that I produce today.
Most recently, and perhaps most important to the development of my artistic thought, I have had the friendship of an artist whose work is widely recognized although he prefers to remain quietly and anonymously in the shadows. Through my relationship with him I have been exposed to both his art and his philosophy and this exposure has helped me grow artistically, professionally and personally and this has allowed me to see and experience the world through different eyes.
Today I work primarily in digital media, although I occasionally work in traditional formats as well. Images are personally created and hand edited to ensure that every detail supports the artistic intent of the image. Final prints are produced to archival standards. Each print is personally inspected and signed prior to its release. Each image produced is the culmination of an average of 40 hours of production work.
My goal is to create images that are both aesthetically captivating and thought provoking. I strive to create images that will evoke a deep emotional response from everyone that encounters them. There is a story in each image that I create; a story that may have existed in the reality of a moment in time, the fantasy of my imagination, or my vision of the past or future. It may even be a story of your very own.
