PATTERNS AND TONES

“Artichokes in August: Inside the Thistle” 2018 As I weave my way through my travels this summer, I have been happily come in contact with other artists who are exploring their part of the world in various ways. On a recent trip to the timeless village of Inverness, located on the cape of Point Reyes Seashore , fate brought me to the doorstep of local painter and educator Inez Storer . We enjoyed a lengthy discussion about her multi-media process and shared stories about my mentor and teacher Jack Welpott , who used to work and live right down the street from her studio, as well as John Gutmann who had started the Fine Art Photography department at my alma mater San Francisco State University where she first started teaching back in 1969. I showed her images I have been working on from various series when she noticed the woven apples and artichokes. She quickly drew the parallel between the images and the monumental grid work  Chuck Close  has created over the...

Teacher, Mentor, Master Photographer " Jack Welpott " by Judy Dater Jack Welpott was one of my most influential teachers who's instruction at San Francisco State University forever influenced my approach to photography. Natural light was the bush in which we painted our portraits and space was to be opened up and explored as a way to expand the perception of dimension within the confines of our medium. I was lucky enough to have several master photographers at both SFSU and the San Francisco Academy of Art that made lasting impressions on me.  Don Worth , Robin Lesser and Steve Harper all provided a different perspective on photography that helped me to progress technically and emotionally. But it was Jack Welpott who I felt understood and nurtured what I was trying to accomplish in my portraits and I will forever be indebted to his instructions on life and photography. I created the image "Delilah" below while attending his classes. It is interesting...