CURTIS PHILLIPS

I use landscape as a vehicle for abstract painting. I am primarily concerned with an exploration of atmosphere and light and rely on a subtle and at times nearly monochromatic palette. My intention is to have the atmospheric qualities of the work draw the viewer in to discover nuances and formal relationships that become richer and more intense upon further exploration. I try to achieve optical truths by exploiting the tension between abstraction and illusionism. Rather than modeling my forms after specific landscape imagery and recording what I see, I prefer to rely on forms that come from the subconscious, and draw from a variety of historical influences. My focus in landscape imagery is to reveal both the exterior form as well as its concealed nature.

I am interested in having a visceral, instinctive relationship with my work, where the process itself directs the outcome of each painting. I am highly concerned with the craft of painting and spend much of my energy applying my methods and exploring the possibilities within my particular medium. I believe in a respect for one’s medium and materials and in trying to achieve the highest possible results. I “build” paintings, giving each piece the added dimension of functioning as objects as well as two-dimensional images. I try to create work that reveals a sense of physical history. I want to instill this sensibility in my paintings by merging both personal and historical elements and concentrating on the evocation of elusive moods and enigmatic images of visual and spiritual strength.

 

TAYLOR BLACKWELL

 

I grew up in the mountains of Colorado and the forests of Oregon, drawing and painting the land. Ever since I began putting lines to paper, I recognized my capacity to draw and to create. My training has been primarily self-taught, studying the great painting masters, traveling abroad to see great works of art. It has become my life passion to capture the light source, the reflection, and the delicate texture of silk caressing the skin. Here I present that drive, with the knowledge that I will continue to strive towards mastering technique, style and composition. May I always be a student.

When I was 22, I’d already gone through art school at the Pacific Northwest College of Art, selectively taking classes on things I felt I needed to know and learn. Many times my teachers would use my work as example and sometimes I felt I was spinning my wheels. Then I got an opportunity to fly down to San Francisco to paint a mural at a Cajun restaurant. From then on I was thrown into the world of muraling, faux finishing, marbling, wood-graining and texturing. I learned a valuable skill and trade that I now incorporate in my finishes and gallery work. I created a business of painting murals and texturing walls, replicating stone and marble for restaurants, offices and residences. My paintbrush has known few limits, for each job was unique and wanted a different technique or style. And when asked to do something like create Michelangelo’s Creation on the Sistine Chapel or turn synthetic columns into Carrera marble, impressionistic landscapes of European farmland or tropical landscapes in monochromatic palettes, I’ve always ultimately been able to master the look my client has asked for. All I can do is continue to challenge my creative boundaries because when you paint from the heart, you never fall.

 

JAMES WINSTON SMITH

JWSmith Photography

My training as a photographer started as an integral part of my study of art and architecture. But the real learning and development of my photographic vision has been an evolving process over many years and from many teachers and some very important mentors.

Early adventure trips took me to now well-known venues of the southwest where the beauty of open and often rugged settings, rich with the heritage and culture of America’s native people. On one of those visits, I had an interesting life-influencing experience in Canyon de Chelly in eastern Arizona. While quietly appreciating a ceremonial site as the guest of a native Dené guide, I suddenly felt the presence of what seemed to be an unseen spirit. And, for a while, I felt as though I could fly through the canyons and along their towering cliffs. Although certainly only a flight of my own spirit (some would say fantasy), it was seemingly also one of the body. As I later recounted the episode to my native friend, he told me that I had been blessed with the wind spirits, and that I should not take that lightly. He gave me the prophetic advice to see this as a sign to see not just what eye takes in, but to look deep for the spirits that reside within.

This and other deeply touching experiences has led me to one of my most important photographic goals — to capture images not simply as they appeared at the time in the field, but also for the spirit and emotion that the setting conveyed. Thus, my work spans from very literal images to those of a much more abstract or impressionistic character.

As you view my images, my hope is that you come to more fully recognize not only the beauty of the obvious but also of the small, isolated and often delicate fragments of nature, even in its most wildest and unusual settings.

I use both film/darkroom and digital processes. But regardless of the method of capture, I strive to remain true to my objectives and artistic intent learned from so many photographers over the years.

 

BEN BAILEY

I am not a true native, but having lived in the Portland area most of my life I certainly call Oregon my home.  Besides my family, my wife, and my two kids, there are three things which really define and drive a lot of my photography: Flying, Land Rovers, and a love for the outdoors.

Flying was my first obsession, and along with it, I always had a deep desire to capture the scenes of flight and flying machines on film.  When I gave up flying to go back to school to become the high school teacher I am today, I held onto flight through my photography.  In recent years I have moved closer and closer to getting back into the cockpit, largely due to my photography, and the connections it makes with people.  Capturing machines of all kinds on film is a challenge, but I've always been driven to record more than just interesting machines, I want to capture the feelings I get, and the possibilities I see when I'm watching machines at work, aircraft flying, old cars rotting, or Land Rovers dripping with age and tales to tell.

Land Rovers, their mystique, and the love/hate relationships they create with their owners is also a theme I like to capture in photographs.  Nothing says "Safari" like an old Land Rover, and a well crafted image of a Rover in almost any setting can tell many tales.  As with other images I capture, when I shoot Land Rovers, I try to get an image which might say something to the viewer.

Flying, or driving through Oregon's back-country in a Land Rover are two of the best ways I know to see and experience Creation.  The windows of the machines I drive become the frames of landscape masterpieces in my mind.  The pictures I take along the way help to tell the story of my adventures.  I want my images to be like the first line, or the last line of a great story.  I want my viewers to be able to imagine that there is something more, something unseen, but something that is being represented in the realistic, but semi-fantastic nature of my images.