Vital Waters is an important photography exhibit “to manifest the Earth’s splendor.” Curated by Jeanne Falk Adams, this show expresses the many forms of water on our planet. I am happy to be part of this exciting exhibit, expressing the element of water under the surface. All black and white images, it includes work by Ansel Adams, Ernest Brooks II, Dorothy Kerper Monnolly, and several other Monterey area b/w underwater photographers whom I deeply respect. Opened in June 2021 at the Sangre de Cristo Arts Center in Pueblo, Colorado, the show will continue through January 2022. Click on image for more info.

I was interviewed by Susan Burnstine, one of my favorite photographers, for the UK’s Black and White Photography Magazine, issue 254. I’m grateful for this opportunity to share my images, practices and ideas. The issue is out now both digitally and on paper. Click the image for the link.

The Salon Jane exhibition is on the wall at the Center for Photographic Art. In-person viewing is open on weekends through April 4th. My work hangs on one panel, and provides an imaginary timeline of the Earth, from primordial scenes to our Ocean birth to our time exploring land. Check out the other five talented artists too. Most of our work was created during the Pandemic.

From February 27 – April 3, 2021, I will be showing my newest work at the Center for Photographic Art in Carmel, California, with fellow artists from Salon Jane. The fourteen Lith gelatin silver prints are a continuation of images for my series In the Liminal which originated in 2017. I made most of this work in my darkroom during the shutdown and it provides an updated perspective of Deep Time and the feeling of being human on Earth. See the CPA website for information on the Feb 27 online opening and in-person visits.

On March 6, 2020, I opened an exhibit with the artists of Salon Jane at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies of Monterey. The show was short-lived as the campus was closed the next week due to the Covid shutdown. In the time that has passed since then, I have been creating new work and organizing a few shows for 2021. The new work came fast and furious, as I felt into what seemed to me like “vertical time,” a feeling of being in a suspended place, like time didn’t exist. The added uncertainty of our future as humans on Earth became more intense and real. I printed from my cache of negatives, both underwater and above. It was a very rich experience and the images that emerged helped me to focus even deeper on my ongoing series In the Liminal, which can be viewed online.

I am happy to present a photo essay in collaboration with Dark Mountain writer/editor Neale Inglenook. This essay is published in the online edition of the DM Journal. The theme is emergence, a following of three stories in poetic form. My new work is featured as a kind of birth story from watery origins, from the ocean and the womb.

Members of Salon Jane will be speaking on October 21st from 1pm to 2:30 at the La Mirada Education Center. I will be part of this talk, speaking about my new series which is now on exhibit at the Museum’s Pacific Street location in Monterey.

Introducing In The Liminal gallery in this website! This gallery contains recent images which are now on view at the Monterey Museum of Art. See previous post for a description.

I am pleased to share work from my newest series concerning the relationship between The Earth and ourselves. This work will be part of an exhibit at the Monterey Museum of Art this fall (see previous post).

My new series is based on ideas about the human species and the relative permanence of the Earth, with questions about our brief time here. This unique moment on the planet feels unsettling and desires perspective. My intention is to provide intimate suggestions of our place in this liminal state, reflecting on the planet’s origins, our own lineage, our physical and spiritual presence, and the future of humans being. All prints are handmade in the darkroom using the lith process.

To get a sneak preview, visit the Salon Jane website and take a look at my page (click image below).

I am pleased to introduce my newest work at the Monterey Museum of Art as part of the exhibit Salon Jane: The Ethereal Zone. Opening night is September 20, and the show runs to November 26. The exhibit includes work from 6 women who compose Salon Jane (an artist collective) in a great variety of mediums, including many analog processes. I am showing 10 new pieces which reflect on the Earth and our relationship to it as human beings, all unique darkroom prints using the lith process.

I am thrilled that two of my “Surfacing” images are included in this anthology of new writing and art exploring what ‘being human’ means in an age of rapid ecological and social change. “The Dark Mountain Project is a network of writers, artists and thinkers who have stopped believing the stories our civilization tells itself. We produce and seek out writing, art and culture rooted in place, time and nature.”

 

I will be part of the May 7th panel discussion at the Monterey Museum of Art which focuses on women in art. The 6 Salon Jane artists will talk about their individual experiences as artists and how their unique artistic challenges advance them toward the future. They will also discuss how meeting regularly as a group offers a sense of community while deepening individual artistic growth and innovation. Some will show images of their work. Follow this link to see a listing of the artists in the panel.

 

My newest work will be exhibited at the Monterey Museum of Art in a show called “Salon Jane: The Ethereal Zone,” opening September 20th. The exhibit will feature the 6 members of the salon in the MMA photography gallery. I’m working on my prints….stay tuned!

 

Salon Jane is a group of six artists with roots in Monterey Peninsula photography who meet regularly to support each other, and who recently have begun to show their work together. After two successful shows in the Monterey area, first at the Green Chalk Gallery and then in Sand City, the “Independent Presence” exhibit moves to Gilbert, Arizona, to the creative and inspiring Art Intersection photography center.  As a member of Salon Jane, I will have my underwater and “Surfacing” work in this exhibit.  A panel discussion precedes the opening on January 14th.  Link to exhibit at Gilbert, Arizona.

The RPS International Print Competition is the oldest juried competition of its kind.  This is the 159th competition!  I am very honored to have 3 images chosen in the finals, and my image “Shipwreck and Baitfish” to be shown in the top 100 exhibited in the UK for the next year.  The show will begin in London, opening October 13th during “Photoblock” in East London.  Then it will travel around England, Northern Ireland, and Scotland. I respect this competition because of its unique judging process: actual prints were part of the final round! Click the link to learn more.

 

I am honored to be exhibiting three underwater images in the Berlin Foto Biennale, held from October 6-29, 2016.  The exhibit features a large number of images from several juried competitions, providing an amazing look at what is current in photography right now.  Three of my underwater images were chosen in the Julia Margaret Cameron juried competition this year, in the Fine Art and the Landscape/Nature categories. Click the icon to learn more about this show and the competitions.

 

I’m excited to participate in the June Photostock Festival in Harbor Springs, Michigan this year.  I’ll be sharing my work with a new tribe of people who have been gathering there for the last ten years.  Mostly photographers, this group shares their artwork and gear, attends workshops, and from what I understand, it is a place to make lifelong friends who are fellow travelers.  Thanks to the driving force behind this event, Bill Schwab, for his hard work and vision.

 

The Wildlife Beyond Borders exhibit will open at the Art Ark Gallery in San Jose, California after its successful run at PhotoCentral Gallery. Many new images will be shown by our group of wildlife photographers.  Check the previous posting on this website for more information. The opening is June 3rd from 5 – 9pm, with artists present.  Art Ark Gallery, 1035 S. 6th St., San Jose, CA 

 

The Liquid Light exhibit moves to the Art Museum of South Texas in Corpus Christi this year, open from April 1 to July 10.  This unique vision of the ocean is touring thanks to Jeanne Falk Adams (curator) and the Mariners’ Museum which has hosted the work in Virginia.  The exhibit features underwater black and white photography, largely from Monterey area photographers.  I am proud to display my work with this group of fine artists, many of whom create beautiful silver and platinum prints.

 

I’m honored to be named a finalist in the 8th annual Julia Margaret Cameron Award competition for women photographers.  My images Jacks and Surgeonfish and Sandscape were chosen in the Landscape/Nature category, and Dunes I was chosen in the Fine Art category by juror Laura Noble.  I’m excited to show my work in Berlin this October as part of the Gala Awards Biennial. Stay tuned for more information.

 

An exciting new exhibit explores wildlife imagery with an emphasis on not only the animals, but also the diligence of each photographer to capture a part of the ecosystem which needs attention.  I am displaying a number of underwater prints in this show at Photo Central in Hayward, California.  The opening is September 26th from 2-5pm and will be up until the end of 2015.  There is a limited edition book available for sale to support Photo Central, and also a video link feature which you can use to make images come to life on your smartphone or pad. Click the link to learn more.

 

“Liquid Light: Photography Beneath the Sea,” an exhibit of  black and white mostly underwater photography, will open at the Mariners’ Museum in Newport News, Virgina on August 21st.  The exhibit features the “Monterey Marine Portfolio” which was curated by Jeanne Falk Adams and sold to the Museum, and which contains prints from 9 photographers.  I’m honored that 8 of my prints are part of this exhibit and collection. The show also features Ernest Brooks II, an early founder of b/w underwater photography. Chuck Davis and I will be leading tours on opening day!  This is a fantastic exhibit depicting the ocean in all its emotions. The show closes January 31st.  Learn more by clicking below.

 

Independent Presence opened June 13 at the Green Chalk Contemporary gallery in Monterey, California. The exhibit consists of work from six artists from the Monterey area, all members of the Salon Jane, a group which meets regularly to share their artwork.  I have four pieces in this show, all from the Surfacing series, and all using the lith process in the darkroom.  The show will be open until August 8 with many events planned.  Check the website for more information.  This is an exhibit which explores the work of artists trained in the local West Coast photography tradition, who are moving ahead with more experimental work.

I’m honored to be featured in the Rfotofolio.org Blog, a photography site.  Here is their statement about their non-profit organization…

“Rfotofolio was founded to give photographers access to a larger audience, and to educate the public about all types of photography through our sites, exhibitions, interviews, and articles.We hope to educate the public and the community of photographers with our published articles on the great influential photographers, founders, and innovators of photography. Rfotofolio supports the work of artists who are struggling to make a living through photography or who are using photography for the social good.”

Check out the interview by clicking the image below:

 

I am honored to be included in a small group show featuring alumni, faculty and students of California Polytechnic State University.  As a Cal Poly Engineering major, I learned the darkroom process for the first time in a recreational class when I was a freshman.  The “learn by doing” philosophy of the school encouraged me to try my hand in many artistic processes.  Several other visual artists share the space in a wonderful gallery, Studios on the Park in Paso Robles, California, through the month of March.

 

Juror Robert Hirsch has chosen “Ladder and Boat” as part of the Art Intersection “Light Sensitive” Juried show.  Hirsch is a handmade photo guru, and selected only handmade prints for the annual exhibit.  Ladder and Boat, from the Surfacing series, was made from a gelatin silver print which was copper-bleached then re-developed in lith developer. Art Intersection “celebrates the art of creating handmade images using traditional photographic print making processes,” and will open the exhibit March 7th, 2015.

 

My image “Sandscape” has been chosen to be part of the Center for Photographic Art’s Juried Portfolio Exhibition.  Another image, “Dunes II” was selected for the Web Gallery.  The juror, Douglas Marshall from the Peter Fetterman Gallery in Santa Monica,  reviewed hundreds of images from full portfolio submissions.  The show is now on the walls in Carmel, and will be up until February 28th.  The CPA is selling a very nice catalog of the winning selected images. When I spoke to the juror, he remarked that my image “haunted him.”  Click on the image to see the web gallery.

  I am happy that one of my underwater images, Diver and Whaleshark, was selected for the juried competition sponsored by Photo Alliance.  The juror was William Wegman, one of my all time favorite artists. (You may know him from the images of the dogs in various positions and in costumes or scenes).  The Fauna exhibit will open Saturday, Oct 25th at the Smith Anderson North Gallery in San Anselmo.  Photo Alliance is an important photographic organization in San Francisco, dedicated to supporting the understanding, appreciation and creation of contemporary photography. More details on the linked images.  

The Mariners’ Museum of Newport News, Virginia, recently acquired a portfolio of work titled the “Marine Portfolio.”  This portfolio was curated by Jeanne Adams and contains a selection of black and white underwater photography, along with several ocean surface images.  The portfolio contains 8 of my underwater prints, along with work from  Scott Campbell, Martha Casanave, Chuck Davis, Wayne Levin, Will Giles, Art Haseltine, Ryuijie and Camille Lenore.  This is a wonderful selection of images depicting the emotional, abstract, and subtle aspects of the ocean, masterfully sequenced.  This work will be shown at the Mariners’ Museum in the fall of 2015…stay tuned for more details.  The museum is known as “America’s National Maritime Museum,” and contains an amazing collection of art and photography related to the sea.  It also houses the USS Monitor Center.  Check it out:          

The Royal Photographic Society of the UK runs the oldest juried print competition, this year called RPS International 157 (for the 157th year).  This year the RPS shortlisted two of my underwater photos.  (The shortlist means out of 6500 entries, they narrowed it down to 290 images). I’m happy to be part of that group with my work titled “Sandstorm” and “Dunes I.”  Check out the RPS, they are full of great learning opportunities and competitions.  The page with all of the shortlisted images is here:

I am very happy to share this news:  I have won second place in the International Fine Art Photography Competition, in the landscape/seascape/nature category.  This contest, also known as the Grand Prix de la Decouverte, is based in Paris, and culminates in an exhibit of finalists and winners in the Paris Salon de la Photo, November 7-11.  My winning image, “Kelp and Fish over Sandscape,” will be in this exhibit.  Click on the image below to see the final images in this wildly international juried  exhibit!  See you in Paris!

I’m pleased to be showing eight of my “Deeper” underwater prints at Art Intersection, in the Phoenix area. The winners’ exhibit for the Light Sensitive juried competition opens on November 2nd.  The top three winners are exhibiting together: I’ll be sharing the show with two other women artists who also make silver prints! Swing by the show if you can, this is a wonderful art center with a real live darkroom and learning center, plus great galleries.  See you on November 2nd!

I am pleased to announce that my image “Kelp and Fish over Sandscape” is a finalist at the International Fine Art Photography Competition in the landscape/seascape/nature category.  The contest, also known as the Grand Prix de la Decouverte, will display the image at the Paris Salon de la Photo in November this year.  After the exhibition, the print will be added to the collection at the Bibliotheque Nationale de France. I am honored to be a part of this collection and will attend the opening of the exhibition!  Click the image below to learn more about this wonderful competition for emerging photographers.  

The image “Sandscape and Baitfish” was just awarded a prize in the 2013 International Fine Art Photography Competition.  This competition is also known as the Grand Prix de la Decouverte, for the emerging photographer.  I’m happy to share the landscape/seascape/nature category with talented international artists.  Link to the contest website by clicking the image below.                

The OIC Moments Blog features stories and images which are unique, fun and mind blowing.  “From the everyday to the truly spectacular, OIC (say “Oh, I see!”) moments are everywhere.”  Meredith Mullins blogs about looking at underwater images in a new way: “These images showed me that an OIC Moment can come again and again. Something familiar, something seen before can always be seen in a new light, with new eyes. Viewing mysterious underwater images that capture the vastness of our planet can be a powerful creative inspiration.” Along with my underwater images, she features images from Scott Campbell, a champion free-diver who shared walls with me here in Carmel at the Center for Photographic Art “Deeper” show. Take a look at the OIC Moments blog!  Click on the image…  

Good news!  My prints juried into the Art Intersection “Light Sensitive 2013” exhibit were voted into the top three winners.  This means I will be sharing an exhibit with the other two artists in November and December at Art Intersection in the Phoenix area.  I’m pleased that the artists are all silver printers, it should be a great show.  For more about the juried show, see previous post.  Winners Exhibit details to unfold soon.

I’m exhibiting in a juried show: two of my images were juried into Light Sensitive 2013 at Art Intersection in the Phoenix area.  The juror was Katherine Ware, photography curator of the New Mexico Museum of Art in Sante Fe.  The entire exhibit is made up of analog prints, made in the darkroom or with alternative process.  My pieces include the new Sandscape with Passing Fish (below), and Sandstorm. The show opens on March 9th, 2013, with the opening reception on March 16th. Click on the image to see more about the show.                  

                        I’m happy to announce that I am included in a very unique exhibit of black and white underwater photography.  The show features fine art photography from Carmel area photographers who specialize in this niche of wilderness in a more abstract perspective than normally seen.  I’m excited to view what curator Will Giles has envisioned.   A catalog of the show images will be available.   “Deeper: Explorations in Ocean Light – Black and White Photographs” opens on October 27th from 4-6pm at the Center for Photographic Art in Carmel, California.  There will be a panel discussion from 2-4p if you’d like more “in-depth” commentary…  I hope to see you there!  The exhibit ends January 5th.    

I’ve been working in the darkroom and creating images which are an evolution towards seeing the subtleties and energy of the underwater landscape. I find a certain beauty and slight unease in these austere and mysterious images. You may see them at the beginning of the Underwater-Deeper Gallery.                  

                    Come visit a wonderful photography exhibit in Carmel at the Exposed Gallery.  I have 3 small prints in the show, all made using the bleaching and lith development process which I am practicing in my darkroom these days.  They are from the “Surfacing” series and are all one-of-a-kind images.  There are lots of gems in this show, come on down!  Click on the image for more info.  

                    Check out the Surfacing Gallery for new images created using the Lith process.  These prints start out as regular darkroom silver gelatin prints.  The prints are then dipped in copper bleach and quickly re-developed in Lith developer.  Lith developer allows for slow but “infectious” development, giving a grainy look in the blacks, and wonderful colors in the highlights.  This process is flexible and intuitive, and results in unique prints.  It’s a lot of fun in my darkroom…  

I am excited to introduce a new format and lots of new images to my website.  I’ve added two new galleries: Surfacing and Toy Camera. The Surfacing images are my latest work in progress, darkroom alternative process prints.  The Toy Camera images have been stacking up for years and are starting to make sense together.  Included is The Pet Spa series starting in the second page of the Toy Camera gallery.

To see my images in person, please contact me for an appointment.  Photography West Gallery in Carmel, California, carries selected images.  Also, if you happen to be staying in Monterey, chose the Intercontinental Clement Hotel next to the Monterey Bay Aquarium and you’ll find my work in the rooms.

Please enjoy!