My Gratitude

Rather than writing a biography, I would like to express my gratitude to the teachers and artists who have shaped my artistic journey. Their guidance and influence have been invaluable, and I am deeply thankful for their contributions to my growth as an artist and the richness they have brought to my life.

In 1970, after my military service, I started at the University of Iowa, where I met someone who truly opened my eyes, John Shulze. John was the founder and head of the recently formed Photography Department at the University of Iowa’s School of Art. Through John and his graduate assistants' efforts, I learned the craft of still imagary and, more importantly, how to expand my creative sense and visual awareness. With this help and guidance, I started to think of all artistic imagery as a visual, emotive language.

I met Minor White at the University of Iowa Photo Festival, Refocus '71, and later at the Society for Photographic Education conferences. He gave many talks, the most notable to me being his introduction and elaboration of Alfred Stieglitz’s ‘Equivalence’, which deepened my grasp of the language of vision. 

I met Bud Lee, a renowned Life Magazine photographer, when he came to teach at the University of Iowa School of Journalism in 1972. I worked with him in some of his workshops and projects. Bud’s advice was to be AUDACIOUS, and that being a little bit crazy really does help sometimes!

I attended a workshop by Wynn Bullock in ‘74. At the workshop's end, Wynn reviewed two images from each participant. My first was of a street jazz band, which all he said was, ‘It's sort of musical.’  The second was a picture of a kid flying a kite. After looking at it, he said, “I really don’t know what to say about this,” and placed it in the back of the stack. He was too kind! I learned then and there that one of the best tools I could have as an artist was a bigger trash can.

Galen Rowell certainly double-downed on Weegee’s “F/8 and Be There!” His work also introduced me to the beautiful Sierra Nevada Mountains, an area I love and still enjoy. I visited his Mountain Light Gallery frequently and had the opportunity to meet him and Barbara. They died too soon.

Starting with his 1962 Sierra Club book, In Wilderness is the Preservation of the World, Elliot Porter’s work showed me there is great beauty even in nature's most Intimate chaos.

Walker Evans's work demonstrated that the banal can be truly beautiful if one has the heart to see it. Many of his images, such as those of Hale County, Alabama, still amaze me with their frankness and beauty.

I recently discovered Linda Conner’s work through her book Odyssey. It was spiritual, ghostly, poetic, beautiful, and went straight through my frontal lobes to my heart! I'm convinced I need to see and learn so much more.