Category Archives: Photography

Q: How has the use of photography in your work changed over the decades?

New York, NY

A: From the beginning in the mid-1980s I used photographs as reference material. My late husband, Bryan, would shoot 4” x 5” negatives of my elaborate setups using his Toyo-Omega view camera. In this respect Bryan was an integral part of my creative process as I developed the “Domestic Threats” pastel paintings. At that time I rarely picked up a camera, except to capture memories of our travels.

After Bryan was killed on 9/11, I inherited his extensive camera collection – old Nikons, Leicas, Graphlex cameras, and more. I wanted and needed to learn how to use them. Starting in 2002 I enrolled in a series of photography courses (about 10 over 4 years) at the International Center of Photography in New York. I learned how to use all of Bryan’s cameras and how to make my own big chromogenic prints in the darkroom.

Along the way I discovered that the sense of composition and color I had developed over many years as a painter translated well into photography. The camera was just another medium with which to express my ideas. Surprisingly, in 2009 I had my first solo photography exhibition at a gallery in New York. Bryan would have been so proud!

For several years now my camera of choice has been a 12.9” iPad Pro. It’s main advantage is that the large screen let’s me see every detail as I compose my photographs. I think of it as a portable, lightweight, and easy-to-use 8 x 10 view camera. My iPad is always with me when I travel and as I walk around exploring New York City.

It is a wonderful thing to be both a painter and a photographer! While pastel painting will always be my first love, photography has distinct advantages over my studio practice. Pastel paintings are labor-intensive, requiring months of painstaking work. Photography’s main advantage is speed. Photographs – from the initial impulse to hanging a print on a wall – can be made in minutes. Photography is instant gratification, allowing me to explore ideas much easier and faster than I ever could as a painter. Perhaps most importantly, composing photographs keeps my eye sharp whenever I am away from the studio. I credit photography as an important factor in the overall evolution of my work.

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Travel photo of the month*

Washington, DC

*favorite travel photos that have not yet appeared in this blog

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Q: How do you determine what size to make your pastel paintings? (Question from Prince North via Facebook)

Two pastel paintings in progress

A:  For three decades I have been making pastel paintings in two sizes:  26” x 20” and 58” x 38.”  These sizes are dictated by practical considerations. 

The smaller ones are because 28” x 22” sheets of acid-free sandpaper are what’s available.  (I mask off an inch all around for mats so the paintings are 20″ x 26″).  For large paintings I buy rolls of acid-free sandpaper that measure 54 inches wide by 30 feet. I cut this down to 40″ x 60″ for paintings and mask off an inch all around on these, too.

And why specifically make them  58” x 38”?  This is the absolute largest size I can make and I prefer making big paintings!

Again, practical factors come into play:  the size of my truck, the cost and size of mat board, and the weight of the frames.

 My pastel paintings need to lie flat when they are moved.  Framed paintings are 70” x 50,” the largest size that can fit flat in the back of my Ford F-150.  58” x 38” is the largest size that will fit in a 8 feet by 4 feet sheet of mat board.  (60 inch wide mat board is available, but the cost goes up considerably).  Lastly, I’ve never weighed them but my large framed paintings are already rather heavy.  It takes two people to carry them.   

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Merry Christmas from New York City!

Rockefeller Center

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Travel photo of the month*

Mount Everest

* Favorite travel photos that have not yet appeared in this blog

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Travel photo of the month*

Climbing to Tiger’s Nest in Paro, Bhutan

*favorite travel photos that have not yet appeared in this blog

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Travel photo of the month*

Lake Titicaca, Bolivia

*favorite travel photos that have not yet appeared in this blog

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Q: What makes you feel most alive?

Morning in Udaipur, India

A: Making art makes me feel alive, using all my gifts, my brain, my heart, and my hands to create something that never existed before and that can never be duplicated; knowing I’m the only person, ever, who could or would make this particular thing, as I strive to push my pastel techniques further each time out. Whether it’s a painting or a photograph, I enjoy making something from nothing… art that is well-crafted and has never been seen before.  

Travel is the other activity that excites me. I thrive on adventure and I especially love new vistas.  When I am in a country I have never visited before, with every step and around every bend there is something new to see. I am an explorer at heart!

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Travel photo of the month*

Los Cabos, Baja del Sur, Mexico

*favorite travel photos that have not yet appeared in this blog

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Travel photo of the month*

The Raleigh Hotel, South Beach (Miami)

* favorite travel photos that have not yet appeared in this blog

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