First solo show, a 40 year retrospective

When I was in high school I joined the photography club to get access to the darkroom. My first 35mm was a cheap russian knock off . When we did a ripple tank lab in Physics class the instructor,whe asked said it would be OK if we took pictures of the wave patterns instead of sketching them. The night before the project was due was my first “all night-er”for a project. I was little punchy from fatigue at school and was at a loss when the school principle came up to me slapped me on the back and congratulated me on the project. The physics instructor had been impressed enough to brag about it to the principle. These days if I go 6 months without an all night work session I feel like I have not been busy enough and go looking for something new to jump into. After dropping out of the physics program at Rutgers I hitched and backpacked around the country and settled for a while in Oakland and Berkeley CA. I worked as a data control clerk for blue cross on the grave yard shift. I picked up a used 2 ¼ rollicord with a close up lens attachment and joined the Darkroom Workshop for access to a fully equipped darkroom. I took that camera and a Majestic tripod to and from work every day Sometimes at 2or3 am the computer operators would doze off and not notice when a printer jammed and sent paper cascading in cuvacious disarray. My lead off photo here is the result, it has been the most popular photo I have shown.

“Lake Merrit at night”, a reoccurring theme...” In the cafeteria at work on the 18th floor one night I noticed the reflection of the overhead lights in the huge windows that overlook Lake Merritt I had a flash of visualization and set about creating the image I had just imagined. Took the picture of the reflected lights then printed it, brought it to work, and put it up on the window and then retook the image. I printed that image also and put it up on the window for yet another iteration.

one moring”Light and lines” was my mantra one morning as I roamed downtown Oakland with my camera when my shift was done. A vacant storefront,papered over on the inside with the topology revealed by the shadows of the wired glass was the result

Another image “I'm Wild for the west” I took after the breakup of a relationship and realized that I was creating the same dysfunctional relationship with each of my lovers even when they were not particularly interested in putting their hands in my head and boot in my groin. It was I who set up the image that way.Taking this image a realizing what I had put into it was a major componant into my realization of my emotional pattern. You create your own reality was a buzz phrase I did thereafter break thre pattern and worked through the emotional turmoil that involved.

"Lost Mountain",site of a failed real estate venture.

1994 recently divorced I flew to Los Vegas, picked up the bicycle I had prearranged to rent and biked to Death Valley National Monument. On the way bought a camera at a drugstore, the least expensive camera they had with a built in timer(35mm film), I didn't dare bring one of my “real” cameras. I titled this series “how to survive in the desert”because on a previous trip I had seen Marta Becket dance in Death Valley Junction. There had also been in the Park gift shop a video titled “how to Survive in the Desert”.which was meant to be a practical guide. I never saw the video, just the box, the title stuck in my mind. Given Marta's incredible example of self fulfillment it was obvious to me that the way you survive in the desert is to dance. I visualized a photo of me wearing my bowler dancing in the desert so I brought that hat along on the bicycle along with my camping gear for the two week trip.