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About me...
I am currently working from Washington, Utah in the southwestern desert, photographing throughout the American West. In September of 2022 I relocated closer to the Colorado Plateau to give me the opportunity to explore this area extensively without having to travel from my home in Sonora Ca. From Utah I have easy drives to so many great landscape locations, without the ordeal of crossing the Sierra Nevada in the winter. Zion is within 45 minutes, Bryce, Capital Reef, Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado all easy drives to great locations. Yellowstone , though further, is straight up 15, then through beautiful Idaho to Wyoming.
It's been a long journey since my grandmother first took me to the beautiful art museums of Kansas City as a young boy, and my grandfather bringing me into his basement darkroom, through Art school in San Francisco , at 18, finding my passion for expression of the world through a camera !
After photography school I did short stints as a darkroom technician, portrait, wedding , and architectural photographer but could never sustain enough enthusiasm to stay in the commercial world. I was only interested in what I wanted to do, so I continued in that vein throughout my life. Photography always remained my driving force throughout the years. At 45 years of age I began to create personal projects, such as California Color, building a portfolio of photographs along themes. Point Reyes Seashore became another sustained project, eventually leading to partnering with The Leica Akademie, USA in 2013 producing 4 day landscape workshops in the American West Parks. In 2018, after 20 such workshops, I struck out on my own, gaining even more control over where I would teach and when. Though the pandemic slowed some down, I continued to teach small semi private and private workshops from California.
Since 2013 I continued to work in the landscape and documentary vein, photographing what interested me.
The move to the beautiful state of Utah has given me so much easier access to the southwests beauty, and has also increased access to workshop destinations in places I love to photograph. There is still much work to be done here in Utah with new projects concentrating on desert plateaus, desert light, and open spaces.
For the next few years, in addition to workshops, my attention moves to fine art printmaking, book making, as well as making new work. The American Southwest has infinite subject matter, and the oppor
WHERE IS THAT NEXT OPEN ROAD !!
Whats Up?
UTAH BASE
CALIFORNIA COLOR-PRINTS
MIRRORLESS CAMERAS
- On September 5th, 2022 I arrived at my new home in Washington, Utah,. Situated here in the southwestern deserts near St. George, Utah, I now have much easier access to the beautiful states of Utah, Arizona, Wyoming, Nevada, New Mexico, Colorado, California's Eastern Sierra, and the mesmerizing deserts that make up so much of the southwestern states. Being here is somewhat like being the hub of the wheel with easy access in all directions. In a sense I have reached my "plateau" here below beautiful 10,500 foot Pine Valley mountain. There is a sense of freedom here that was lost in California, and this freedom has helped inspire new work daily !!
MIRRORLESS CAMERAS
CALIFORNIA COLOR-PRINTS
MIRRORLESS CAMERAS
- Okay, I admit it, I've always looked for "The Final Solution" in cameras so that I don't have to think about the dam things anymore !! Recently I was on the medium format path with the Fuji GFX 50R. Before that, trying numerous mirrorless cameras, including Leica's, Nikons, and Canons with electronic viewfinders, most feeling somewhat ok, but not convinced. For the first 20 years photographing I used the Leica M3, then M2, before using 4x5 for landscape for an 8 year project. Looking for that combination of excellent image quality, portability, and
- comfortable handling led me to my recent purchase of the Nikon Z8. I am just beginning to explore this camera with long lenses needed to capture the high desert plateaus that surround me with their ever changing light and weather. I anticipate that all of my work from September 2023 on, will be made with this fine instrument.
CALIFORNIA COLOR-PRINTS
CALIFORNIA COLOR-PRINTS
CALIFORNIA COLOR-PRINTS
- I'n now working on the printing of my series "CALIFORNIA COLOR". The entire series is from an archive of 4x5 color transparencies made to document the colors of California's diverse geology. It will be printed in 20 x 25 inch inch sizes only. At this time there are approximately 30 photographs in the series, but that may be lowered as prints are made if the quality is not up to standards. These photographs will be sold through my website and through galleries in Utah. I will make an announcement when I have completed this task, hopefully sometime before the spring of 2024.. About 20 transparencies still need to be scanned and processed. I am using the Tango drum scanner at Metal and Paper in Oakhurst, Ca. Jeff Handy is still doing his expert scanning in Oakhurst through Bay Photo
- in Scottsdale, Ca. My new Epson Surecolor P6000 will be cranking out the prints. Ive not setteld on a paper yet-! See more at my Printmaking page
My NEW STEAD
2023 WORKSHOPS
CALIFORNIA COLOR-PRINTS
- The Hummer H3 has been my photography vehicle of choice since being trapped in a Utah winter storm in 2010. It now has an odometer reading at 327,000 miles ! Its been a great vehicle all these years on my excursions but is now costing me too much to maintain both parts, and gas wise. Its time to retire it to gentler excursions. In February it will be replaced with a new Subaru Crosstrek Sport, modified for off road use in the mountains and deserts I'll encounter here in the southwest. It will be lifted to 10.5 inches with a bigger set of off road tires, and underbody armor to protect against rocks and such on desert backroads. A stronger front bumper, lights, and winch will be added as well. Most overnighting I'll be sleeping inside the Crosstrek, as it has enough length to accommodate me. I'm looking to cover a lot of ground in this one too and starting over with the odometer at zero miles shall give me the added reliance I need out here in the southwestern deserts.! She's a capable beauty, in both deserts and mountain terrain and she comes in heat reflecting PEARL WHITE of course !
PRINTMAKING
2023 WORKSHOPS
2023 WORKSHOPS
- Printmaking is my major focus now after arriving in Utah. I have numerous portfolios to complete and several e-books to publish. "California Color" a portfolio of 30 works form the 4x5, will be first on the list, followed by the e-books " Exiled in California", "Manzanar, Shades of Gray", and "Facades" , and Point Reyes Seashore, a documentary exercise. Utah and Yellowstone portfolios will follow in 2023..
- I have just acquired a new Epson P6000 24 inch wide printer for all of my printmaking needs. This will give me the capacity to print up to 24x36 inch prints and of course has the latest and greatest archival ink sets.
- In mid-October Ill be selling framed and unframed prints at Tuachan Center for the Arts, in Ivins, Utah. Not far from the Kayenta Art Village, Tuacahn is a performing arts center surrounded by beautiful red canyon cliffs. Ill be removing work from my Arrowhead Gallery to concentrate on sales in Tuacahn.
- Hopefully, I'll have my blog running this year, in order to keep my printmaking endeavors current with viewers and those interested in printmaking..
2023 WORKSHOPS
2023 WORKSHOPS
2023 WORKSHOPS
- Due to my move to Utah this fall, my workshop schedule has been put on hold. My last workshop in February of 2022 was in Zion, and I have to say, it was better than I'd dreamed about with a timely snow fall of up to 6 inches for two out of 4 days ! Stay tuned for the 2023 schedule coming in September !
- I will also try to hold a "photographers" retreat in the spring of 2024. This will not be a workshop, but an informal meet-up of photographers here in St George. Well eat, talk shop, and photograph in Zion for a couple of days.
- I'll announce this t"retreat" through my Leica mailing list late this year.
Announcement
"Thank you for your patience while I redesign my site to provide a better experience. I have left it live so some areas can still be viewed while other areas are completed.." MKP