I am a retired high-technology R&D executive. After a thirty-four year career that culminated in executive leadership positions with AT&T Bell Laboratories (Holmdel, New Jersey) and Cisco Systems (San Jose, California), I have turned my attention from developing and scaling the Internet to capturing the natural beauty of the North Coast of California with my camera and developing the images in the digital darkroom.
I live on the rugged coast of Sonoma County. This is an area endowed with unique natural beauty, solitude and light that is softened by the presence of mist from the Pacific Ocean. My images of both grand and intimate landscapes seek to convey the splendor and serenity of my surroundings.
While I am thoroughly an American, three British landscape photographers have especially influenced my thinking about the art. David Ward, Joe Cornish and Peter Watson are first-rate professionals. The landscape of the UK is just as compelling though sometimes less grand in scale than areas in the American West. Their work has taught me a lot about the centrality of light, clarity of composition, and, especially David Ward, the opportunities in the intimate landscape. Each has published several books that are readily available here.
I switched from film to digital photography in 2007 and have not looked back. All of my work is done with Nikon digital SLRs and professional lenses. I process my images in Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop to insure the final images convey the qualities of light and texture I experienced in the field. Long resistant to the use of Photoshop, the thoughtful work of Canadian George Barr convinced me of the value of Photoshop in restoring the full gamut of light and subtlety of texture that can be lost to the limits of our lenses, cameras, printers and displays.
Anxious to learn more about the natural environment of coastal Northern California while helping others experience the coast, I became a “winter wildlife” docent at Point Reyes National Seashore in 2009 and returned for my second season in the winter of 2010 – 2011.
Recently, I have begun to show my work. I am delighted to be a member of the Artist’s Collective in Elk, California, and hope that coastal residents and visitors will enjoy seeing my images while they experience this beautiful coast.
Shows and Exhibits
- Art in the Redwoods, August 2008, Gualala Arts, Gualala, California
- Art in the Redwoods, August 2009, Gualala Arts, Gualala, California. Judges’ Award for “Gentle High Tide.”
- Art in the Redwoods, August 2010, Gualala Arts, Gualala, California.
- Member Show, December 2010, Sebastopol Center for the Arts, Sebastopol, California.
- Artist’s Collective in Elk, On-going exhibition of work from March 2011, Elk, California.
- The May Show, Juried Show, May 2011, Gualala Arts, Gualala, California
- Looking at Water, Juried Show, August 2011, Marin Society of Artists Gallery, Marin Art & Garden Center, San Anselmo, California.
- Art in the Redwoods, August 2011, Gualala Arts, Gualala, California