artist note

Life with Covid and Smoke

This portfolio was the first work that I produced after returning to photography and re-discovering the purity of expression offered by the classical “straight” B&W photography. In this work, I try to employ the interplay of light and shadows (that is so prominent in landscape photography) to communicate my feelings about the world around me and about social and environmental concerns.

The work grew from my own experiences (positive and negative) during the stages of Covid we experienced, superimposed on by the seasons of forest fires in Alberta and B.C. As for many other people, the events forced me to become more intimate and appreciative of my own surroundings. The feelings of being trapped alternated with hopefulness. I hope some of this is conveyed in the work.

Most of the images are a combination of the 4x5 B&W analog with digital processing (and carbon printing). I feel that this mix gives one some artistic freedom while keeping close to the real world.