Cameraless photography & mixed media artist
I am an experimental photographer and mixed media artist working primarily with darkroom materials and cameraless techniques. The artwork I make is a collection of fleeting moments, emotional responses, reflections and affirmations.
My background is in the photographic industry. From the age of 18 I worked as a photographic printer in a variety of darkrooms in and around London. In the mid 90’s I became self-employed, providing specialist hand-printing services for a broad range of clients, including commercial photo labs, studios, museums, tv & film companies and picture archives.
I’ve had the pleasure of making prints for some incredibly talented photographers over the years and I really enjoyed working with them to translate the raw information of a negative into a final print that reflected their vision. I always thought the logical next step for me would be to become a photographer myself. I explored this possibility for a while but never felt fully satisfied with the images I created, they always seemed lacking in something. I didn’t want to depict things that already existed, I wanted to investigate the unseen; to render moments that don’t exist, other than in the imagination.
The darkroom, which I found a deeply imaginative and creative space, allowed me to experiment with cameraless techniques and explore the possibilities of capturing transient moments of illumination.
Many of the works on this website are original unique photograms and luminograms created mostly between 2005 and 2015, when I had a darkroom at home. Some of these images are used as the starting point, or inspiration for, digital and mixed media creations which further explore the idea of encapsulating a moment or feeling.
Music is a huge source of inspiration for me; in particular the way a song (or part of a song) can define a moment, evoke an emotion or trigger a memory. I am fascinated by this visceral response, much of my work is created in an attempt to turn that feeling into something tangible and enduring.