Spectator III, Santa Cruz, this is the last of the 2008 California series. I will be working on 2009 work and posting them when I can.

This piece is 2 1/2 in. x 4 1/2 in.

This piece, Rocky Coast, Santa Cruz, again references the idea of the power of the ocean is juxtaposed against the rigidity of the coast.

This piece is 3 1/2 in. x 3 1/2 in.

Most of the images and themes I deal with in my work revolve around solitude and isolation. I tend to fall to most of these as a base level because that is where I feel most comfortable. Part of this blog is an exercise to give me some type of deadline to make me constantly produce and hopefully pull me away from some of these base levels. I feel like I need to get out of the habit of forced solitude - though I truly enjoy it when its just me and the landscape.

I am getting ready to move on to some of the new 2009 pieces. These will also be from the California series as I travel up the coast and further inward. The postings are going to start to spread out some more as I am working but they will be coming soon. I am also hoping to have the time to start working in some other mediums and posting those images as well. In the next few months my plan is to get back to Etsy.com and start linking some of my work for purchase but in the mean time please feel free to contact me directly for more information.

Spectator II, Santa Cruz.

This piece is 3 1/2 in. x 3 1/2 in.

Rolling Waves III, Santa Cruz, again goes back to the concept of the power of the ocean beating against the rocky coast. While the rock always appears stable we know that this force will change it over time into something completely different.

This piece is 2 1/2 in. x 4 1/2 in.

This piece, Bluff VI, Santa Cruz, goes back to the bluff series in exploring compositional space.

This piece is 2 1/2 in. x 4 1/2 in.

Rolling Waves II, Santa Cruz.

This piece is 2 1/2 in. x 4 1/2 in.

This piece, Spectator I, Santa Cruz, was a little off the beaten path for me as most of my subject matter is landscape. I felt that this would be a good point to try something a little different for a little bit of change.

This piece is 3 1/2 in. x 3 1/2 in.

This piece, Pacific Ocean, Santa Cruz, is dealing with several layered textures being juxtaposed atop one another. From bottom to top, you have the breaking waves on the dark rocky coast below what appears to be more calm waters. Then the ridged landmass splits the calmness of the water which eventually go into the flattened gray foggy background. I think the textural change throughout this piece is intriguing to the eye as it works it way though the photograph.

This piece is 4 1/2 in. x 2 1/2 in.

This piece, Rolling Waves I, Santa Cruz, is similar to that of earlier posts dealing with the power of the ocean. The waves crash into the shore and create these wonderful sprays that greatly contrast the darker landmasses in the foreground while further behind the horizon essentially disappears into nothingness.

This piece is 2 1/2 in. x 4 1/2 in.

This piece, Bluff V, Santa Cruz, goes back to the compositional idea of making the land mass and the ocean feel small in the backdrop of the misty sky.

This piece is 3 1/2 in. x 3 1/2 in.

From the Tidal series, Tidal IV, Santa Cruz. The texture of the rough waters against that of the rock were really a great aspect of this photo. The combination, I feel, resulted in an intriguing shot.

This piece is 2 1/2 in. x 4 1/2 in.

This piece, Trees III, Santa Cruz, is in the same taste as a couple of earlier posts on the Trees series. Throughout the California series I will be going back to the images of isolated objects in the fog and early morning mists. This atmosphere was very common in the coastal areas of California that I was in and created a very photogenic landscape.

This piece is 2 1/2 in. x 4 1/2 in.

Continuing on with the Bluff series, Bluff IV, Santa Cruz, shifts to showing the land as a small part of water and sky. Now, the land is not only perched near the endless sky seeming to fade away but also the contrasting ocean. The movement captured in the water contrasts the calmness of the sky while mirroring the form on opposite sides of the land.

This piece is 2 1/2 in. x 4 1/2 in.

Bluff III, Santa Cruz, goes back to the Bluff series. The composition of this piece was to allow for more of an isolated feeling of the land and the trees on the bluff. This will be further explored in later images from the Bluff series.

This piece is 3 1/2 in. x 3 1/2 in.

This piece, Tidal III, Santa Cruz, goes back to the same ideas that are being explored in previous pieces from the Tidal series. The play of contrast in this image helps to express the feeling of the turmoil in the ocean waves.

This piece is 2 1/2 in. x 4 1/2 in.

This piece, Bluff II, Santa Cruz, is the second of the Bluff series. The composition of this piece was intended to make the land mass stretch outward towards the ocean whereas the first bluff image tends to emphasis a more vertical aspect.

This piece is 2 1/2 in. x 4 1/2 in.

This piece, Separation II, Santa Cruz, goes back to Sunday's post. Again these large rock formations appear to be pulling further out to sea, reaching out to something beyond.

This piece is 2 1/2 in. x 4 1/2 in.

This piece, Bluff I, Santa Cruz, is part of a series of several scenes of this particular bluff on the Santa Cruz coast. I was playing with the concept of spacing and composition in the frame. You will see the effects over the next several days as I post the rest of the series.

This piece is 3 1/2 in. x 3 1/2 in.

Tidal II, Santa Cruz, is another image exploring the power of the ocean as the surf breaks over these strong rock formations that are scattered along the coast of Santa Cruz, the water slowly over time changing the coastal landscape.

This piece is 3 1/2 in. x 3 1/2 in.

This piece, Separation I, Santa Cruz, had a great visual movement to the rock formations. While it took years for the ocean to erode the rock it felt as it they were just pulling away from the mainland and stretching out into the ocean.

This piece is 2 1/2 in. x 4 1/2 in.

With Tidal I, Santa Cruz, I wanted to try to capture the feel of the power of the ocean. While some of this is evident in earlier images that have been posted I feel that this image really captures the water's rough and tumultuous state.

This piece is 3 1/2 in. x 3 1/2 in.

Pacific II, Santa Cruz.

This piece is 3 1/2 in. x 3 1/2 in.

Coast II, Santa Cruz. With this piece I wanted to experiment a little more with framing the image up to give it a definite boundary. This is something that I will be working more on with future images.

This piece is 3 1/3 in. x 3 1/2 in.

Continuing from yesterdays post this is a similar piece, entitled Trees II, Santa Cruz, going back to the isolation of the subject. The theme of solidarity is something that I go back to on many occasions in all aspects of my artwork. Isolating the subject in a larger uniform background creates a tension that pulls the viewer deeper into the work allowing them an understanding of how this small think exists in a much larger placement.

This piece is 3 1/2 in. x 3 1/2 in.

This piece, entitled Trees, Santa Cruz, is part of several images of this grouping of trees that were on the coast that appear to get lost in the fog that is common in Santa Cruz and surrounding area. I went back to these types of shots several time because I feel that the fog isolates the subject and allows the opportunity to explore the object more with the use of negative space.

This piece is 2 1/2 in. x 4 1/2 in.

This is the second diptych in the first part of the California series. Each piece is entitled Coastal Crash, Santa Cruz I and Coastal Crash, Santa Cruz II, respectively.

Both pieces are 3 1/2 in. x 3 1/2 in. each.

I feel like I have gotten a few technical aspects dealt with at this point so I would like to discuss my background regarding this particular series. I love landscape and the feelings that it can evoke in a person. The creation and processing to create the final print is only part of the art process; actually being out and exploring various aspects of the landscape is a great part of the artistic process. I grew up in East Central Mississippi and most of the landscape in that area is fairly flat and can be very rural - I love finding part of my roots in other parts of the country and the world. I will be going back to some of my early negatives from Mississippi to revisit those prints but under the same context of the California series where I will be working on a smaller scale. I hope you look forward to viewing those images in the future.

I am working on putting up more of my multiples in the California series. This diptych is two pieces entitled Coast, Santa Cruz I and Coast, Santa Cruz II respectively.

Both pieces are 3 1/2 in. x 3 1/2 in. each.

The photographic images that I will be posting from the California series were all shot on 35mm Ilford Pan F Plus Black and White Film, yes film. I have been shooting with this type of film for about 5 or 6 years now and find it to be one of the greatest black and white films that I have worked with. It is wonderful in the studio but I have used it mostly for shooting on-site outdoors. It allows for a great amount tonal change across the film which results in rich tones on the final prints. I won't get in to to much technical information as I don't deal with a great deal of specifics with film or processing. From the film I scan the images with a flatbed transparency scanner and then process through photoshop before printing. I print with archival inks in an Epson print.

Please let me know if you have any questions pertaining to the processing of the images and I will be happy to give you what information I have. Also, feel free to ask any other questions you may have.

This is the first piece I'm putting up on my blog. Its actually three separate pieces entitled Pacific, Santa Cruz I, Pacific, Santa Cruz II and Pacific, Santa Cruz III respectively. These are pieces that I am going to be highlighting for the next couple of months as I work on my California series, a series of images from a 1500 mile road trip though central parts of California.

The images that I will be posting for the California series are all relatively small. I am trying to work smaller as a challenge to myself as well as the economical benefits. These three prints are all 4 1/2 in. x 2 1/2 in. each. They are ink titled, dated, numbered and signed along the bottom edge of the print. All of my prints from the California series will be titled, dated, numbered and signed in the same fashion. The first batch will dated "08" and I will be to post when the images will begin "09". If you have any questions regarding the editions or any other aspects on how I label my work feel free to contact me.

I am really excited about posting these for your comments and of course if anyone if interested in purchasing any images from the series please contact me.