THE STORYLINE

The holga and I

I use a Holga camera — an all-plastic, completely manual toy camera made in China that uses medium-format film and creates square negatives. Although newer iterations of the Holga exist today (with the ability, for example, to accept a flash unit or lens adaptors), I continue to use the original model. Its features include:

  • Absolutely minimal, all-plastic body and lens construction
  • One shutter speed
  • Two shutter openings: "sunny" and "cloudy"
  • An attached, plastic, non-interchangeable lens
  • A huge potential for light leaks
  • Incredibly indeterminate (if any) focusing

The Holga is the antithesis of the digital camera. It's a headstrong co-participant in the creative process: Changing film is cumbersome and time-consuming; the plastic lens and body are prone to change their effect on the film over time; a light leak may develop unexpectedly.

Using the Holga, I get a constant reminder that ultimately, I’m not in control. I can only capture a reflection of what I think I see through the viewfinder. It is an unveiling of what I am feeling at that moment, a sense of my immediate perception of the energy, light and shapes that my intellect, heart and intuition are interpreting right then, right there.

Similarly, I do absolutely minimal manipulation of the images during image setup or printing, whether (once upon a time) in the darkroom or digitally. The photographs instead reveal the energy of the moment, rather than seeking to present a realistic representation of their subject matter.

However, most recently, I've been using my absolutely minimal Photoshop skills on a series, "Van Gogh Dreams of ..." I digitally edit Holga images of recognized area scenes to replicate (sort of) the style of Van Gogh's brushwork. Then, the images are printed onto canvas and varnished.  The concept was inspired by being asked to exhibit in the lobby during a local theater company's production of Sherlock Holmes spoof, "Van Gogh's Ear." 

I’ve also begun having my Holga images dyed into white aluminum using the Chromaluxe process. The combination weds high tech and old-school, and it achieves a whole deal level of vibrancy and depth. Chromaluxe is dye sublimation process that creates high-definition, durable, preservation-quality photo panels. Instead of being printed directly onto a surface, which can scratch easily, Chromaluxe infuses images into the coating of the metal. 

Currently a member of the Fort Worth Art Collective, my Holga images have since about 1995 been selected for presentation in more than two dozen juried and solo exhibitions from California to Rhode Island to North Carolina. My photos are in permanent collections that include private homes, businesses, the Buddy Holly Center in Lubbock, and the former All Saints Episcopal Hospital children’s oncology unit in Fort Worth.

Snapshot Biography

I’m a writer, photographer, certified yoga teacher (check out my yoga website), and serious amateur guitarist living in Fort Worth, Texas. I arrived here in 1989 as a reporter for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram following reporting stints in New York City; Denver and Boulder, Colorado; and New Orleans — all after having earned a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University. Before that, I graduated with honors in English and Modern American History from Metropolitan State College in Denver (now Metropolitan State University) and earlier in my 20s, had served three years in the U.S. Army, fighting the big one in Bavaria. A short stint in the Army Reserves was brought to a halt by a short-lived stint in live theatre, including time as a member of the Boulder (Colo.) Repertory Company.

Exhibitions

Solo and Two-person Exhibits
"Squaring the Circle"
Artist Gallery, 1208 W. Magnolia Avenue Building, Fort Worth, Texas
Solo exhibition, April 2019
10 images seeking to illustrate the nexus where the vastness of the arc merges and pulsates with the grounding of the square.
Read the blog post.

"Art in the Basement"
Solo exhibition, 17 curated images
The Basement Lounge, Fort Worth
April 2018

"Visions Through a Plastic Lens"
International Photography Hall of Fame, Oklahoma City
Major solo exhibition with featured-artist talk.
April 2008
Read the press notice.

Juried and Curated Exhibits
"Art in the Metroplex Grand Finale"
Fort Worth, 2017
Curated exhibit, juried by Judy Teadford Deaton, chief curator and director of exhibitions, the Grace Museum.
Read the blog post.

"Second Annual Regional Juried Exhibition, Artspace 111"
Fort Worth, 2015
Juried show, curated by Vernon Fisher. Read the notice.

"Black, White and All Points in Between"
International juried exhibit of black and white photography
Mpls Photo Center, Minneapolis, 2010

"7th Photographic Image Biennial Exhibition"
East Carolina University, 2010
Juried show, curated by Keith Carter

"Annual Art in the Metroplex"
Juried show, curated by Polly Apfelbaum, a critically acclaimed artist whose work is included in the collections of New York's Museum of Modern Art and Whitney Museum of American Art, Chicago's Museum of Contemporary Art, and the Musee d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, France.
Fort Worth, 2010

"Hot Shop Summer Juried Show"
Might Fine Arts, Dallas
Juried show — two images selected
2010

Group Exhibits (sampling)
"Small Works"
Pop-up exhibit, Artes De La Rosa Annex, Fort Worth

Spring Gallery Night, March 2019
Fort Worth Art Collective Group Show

"Branching Out"
Botanic Research Institute of Texas, Fort Worth
Themed group exhibition, 2018

"FWAC at Keller Town Hall"
Fort Worth Art Collective Group Exhibition, 2018

"The BIG Show"
Themed exhibition, 2018
Artes de la Rosa Gallery, Fort Worth

"More Than Black and White"
ART7 Gallery, Fort Worth
Jointly curated exhibit, 2017

"Presenting the Fort Worth Art Collective"
Grackle Art Gallery, Fort Worth, 2017

"The FWAC at the FWCAC"
Group exhibition, Fort Worth Community Arts Center
Fort Worth, 2016

"The Fort Worth Art Collective at Gallery 76102"
Gallery 76102
Fort Worth, 2016
Read the review.