Blue Ridge Fog by: Rick Preston

Artwork Description

Artist Information

I consider my work to be visual haiku.  I strive to capture the essence of a place in the simplest possible way.  Waiting for the light is critical.  Sometimes this means months, sometimes minutes.

As far as equipment is concerned, I am stuck in my old ways.  For the last 30 years I have used, exclusively, a 4X5 wooden field camera.  The  4" X 5" negative and the adjustments on the camera are well suited to my work.

As far as process is concerned, I am using old and new techniques.  Most of the prints I will be exhibiting have been made in a traditional darkroom.  Some images have entered the digital domain and are printed on a state of the art ink jet printer.  All of my photographs start as 4 X 5 film.  

I have been involved in photography as long as I can remember.  In grade school I had a darkroom set up in the family kitchen at night.  A serious interest in fine arts photography started in a photography course at the University of Colorado, 1966.  I continued exclusively with black and white until 1985.  Since my graduation from University of Colorado I have studied with Judy Dater, Oliver Gagliani, Ted Orland, Richard Misrach, Linda Connor, Philip Hyde and Mark Klett.

Over the years I have exhibited in dozens of one person and group shows in many states.  Currently I am represented by Arlene Siegel Gallery in Santa Fe, NM, Beth Jones in Sacramento and Spectrum Gallery in Fresno, CA.  Over the last 39 years I have exhibited in over 700 art festivals throughout the USA and Canada, and have received awards at most of them, including Lakefront Festival of the Arts.  My first year at the Lakefront Festival was 1979.

My work is included in the permanent collections of: Walt Disney World, Inc., Fort Lauderdale Museum of Art, University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh, Fresno Art Museum, Spectrum Gallery, Ruffel Oil, Inc., Oklahoma City, Scottish Rite Museum, Milwaukee, Wisconsin Bell, Kaiser Permanente, and many others.