Artist's Statement

Self-portrait, Trim, County Meath, Ireland. May 2019

I began to work seriously in photography in 1976. Two 35mm Nikons and a medium-format Yashica rangefinder were my longtime companions.  It was 22 years later that I discovered the special camera that revealed my inner vision ~ my re-visioning of the commonplace ~ my portal to the Otherworld.

Using a camera without a lens removes nearly all technical control. I choose the film, the setting, and the length of time I allow the light to dance upon my film.  And in return,  I am given the unplanned for image, the unexpected image ~ the image I am destined to have.

My earliest experiments involved modifying more traditional cameras to be used without a lens. First, I used my Nikon and I shot with color film and loved the dreamlike images.  I also modified an 8x10 view camera and shot with black & white film.  This is when I became very excited with my results. At this point I knew the lensless, less technical control, approach was for me. I obtained a 4x5 Leonardo wood camera and used black & white film. I did a series on trees on the Central Coast of California and spent days and days in my darkroom. In a few years I  began using medium format roll film lensless cameras and they continue to be my artistic companions.