In 1996, Camosun College celebrated its 25th Anniversary. There were 27 instructors who had started with College in 1971 who were still teaching on the anniversary. I personally found this of interest, perhaps because of my highly variable track record of employment. I arranged appointments with the instructors during the Christmas break and took holidays at that time. In visiting each instructor, I tried to find two locations; office and lab by example. My original intent had been to mount an exhibition, but this plan was abandoned because of the costs and difficulty in finding a location. The project lay dormant for ten years. It was resurrected with the advent of print-on-demand book publishing. I saw the publication of the photographs as a collection, as a book, as a viable alternative to mounting a gallery exhibition. The side benefits were; closure of the project for me, a permanent record and ability to share the book with the instructors. Ultimately, the opening of a door to an alternative to the gallery system that acknowledges and finishes a project. 54 photographs, 62 pages
About the Author: The world presents itself and occasionally, I take the time to observe. There are times when the observation takes on the form of obsession, at other times it is the casual encounter. These moments become photographs. Believing that the normal needs to be elevated by exaggeration or simplification, I apply my skills to interpret these instances. I've exhibited in group and one person shows since 1969; exhibiting photographs, painting and prints. My work, since 1998, has focused on computer manipulated photographs. The prints have been exhibited extensively through 147 exhibitions, primarily in US university, college, and community galleries. The exhibitions have been in; BC, Alberta, Ontario and in 31 American States. Also an exhibitor in 12 virtual web galleries, associated with academic conferences focused on digital imaging in Australia, China, Thailand, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States. In 2006, I began publishing my completed projects as books, and have completed thirteen books to date, with three others in development to be published in 2010. A recent award was the Jurors Award, best overall in show, for my photograph "Tradition Comforts Revelation", LOOK Victoria 2008, Community Arts Council of Victoria, the first time a photograph placed first in 30 years of competition. In 2008 and 2009, I exhibited as a finalist in the Ultimate Eye Foundation (California) grant competition for creative digital photography. I continue to be involved with experiments in expanding the range of color normally seen by an observer or the camera. Color is not added to the image. It is the exaggeration of existing color that becomes manifest through image manipulation. Coupled with the exploration of exaggerated color, are explorations of its near relatives, contrast and detail. This process is an extension of similar experiments I conducted with film based photography between 1970 and 1973. The film based system was excessively complicated and became a deterrent to productive image creation. The digital equivalent has more potential, greater variability and can be easily reproduced as prints or in book form. Born and educated in Alberta, I have been living in Victoria, on Canada's West Coast, since 1984.