in my image-based work, i mix original photography with digital manipulation and layers of lettering, paint and varnish. As far as possible, materials for my work are sourced at generic stores such as Staples and Home Depot, only very rarely including materials from traditional ‘art supplies’ stores.
my images have been exhibited at a number of galleries on the Eastside. shows typically consist of large-scale pieces, exploring themes of connections lost, the natural landscape as a repository for our hopes and fears, and the world as witnessed by the lonely and marginalized.
Outsider Arts Festival (2021)
Group Exhibition, The Roundhouse, Roundhouse Mews, Vancouver – October 15-17
le soleil tombait presque d’aplomb sur le sable et son éclat sur la mer était insoutenable. il n’y avait plus personne sur la plage.
dans les cabanons qui bordaient le plateau et qui surplombaient la mer, on entendait des bruits d’assiettes et de couverts. on respirait à peine dans la chaleur de pierre qui montait du sol.
pour commencer, raymond et masson ont parlé de choses et de gens que je ne connaissais pas. j’ai compris qu’il y avait longtemps qu’ils se connaissaient et qu’ils avaient même vécu ensemble à un moment. nous nous sommes dirigés vers l’eau et nous avons longé la mer.
quelquefois, une petite vague plus longue que l’autre venait mouiller nos souliers de toile. je ne pensais à rien parce que j’étais à moitié endormi par ce soleil sur ma tête nue.
l’etranger, albert camus 1942
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Meaning & Empowerment (2021)
Group Exibition, Lost + Found Gallery, East Hastings Street – April 5 to June 25
these four pieces explore the creation of meaning from a shattered existence, and the possibility of building empowerment through the construction of new personal narratives from impersonal structures.
each of the images was captured in the downtown eastside through the eyes and lens of a bipolar photographer. the fragmenting of familiar public buildings  reflects the distorted viewpoint of someone experiencing the extremities of existence, while their reassembling into new forms hints at an agency in the midst of the chaos.
the titles of the works relate to the biography of the photographer, layering a new element of meaning over the top of the images. while apparently unrelated to the images, they in fact carry a series of deep personal meanings – an afternoon drumming in the sun on the steps of the AMEC building, a meeting with a lawyer at the Dominion building, a family joke about where a stolen bicycle might have ended up.
together, the approaches pursued in these works speak to an emerging sense of empowerment, of using photography to deconstruct and then rebuild a reality that can support us in our recovery.
Identity and Connection (2021)
Group Exhibition, Lost + Found Gallery, East Hastings Street, Jan 23 – March 20
my work in this exhibition explores the linkages and disconnections between our efforts to connect with the external world and create identity directly through our senses and more indirectly through the use of language.
the photographic component of the work is captured in a fraction of a second, but reworked through processes such as editing, cropping and framing.
the poetry fragments complement or contrast with the images, providing a commentary on the different layers our consciousness accesses in connecting and creating identity.
all of the works revolve around efforts to create an identity in partnership with the natural environment. none of the images show any other sentient creatures, suggesting that the task of social connection may be more challenging than sometimes assumed.
Japhy Ryder is Dead (2013)
Solo Exhibition, Havana Gallery, Commercial Drive, Vancouver – July
with tears in our eyes, a few of us went to clear out his last known flop, second floor of the lucky rooms down on keefer. we were amazed by what we found.
the place was stacked to the ceiling with shoeboxes stuffed with photos, notebooks full of songs, binders spilling out hand-typed poems. who knew?
the others said his stuff was sacred, and insisted it all be burned.
i grabbed a few random items while they were loading the pickup, fleeting memories of my dharma bum friend.
Japhy Ryder and the Rucksack Revolution (2009)
Solo Exhibition, Havana Gallery, Commercial Drive, Vancouver – August
japhy finally decided to come in from the cold
he hung his coat on a wooden peg by the door
stuffed his notebooks in an old cabinet in the garage
set about raising a family
the editors never called, no-one ever seemed to notice
a far-off part of the world
he shook off his world-wearyness
and began to feel at home for the first time
he kissed the earth, caressed the rocks
adored the cyan skies
basked in the magenta sunset
drank in the yellow dandelions
but somehow, the echo
of other places, like a hum or a rattle
a certain disquiet
came breaking through
Another Summer Wasted at the New Amsterdam (2006)
Solo Exhibition, The Whip, 209 East 6th Avenue – August
from the outside, the life of a street person looks dismal. but maybe, just maybe, the long, dusty summer, the abundant drugs, and architectural wonders spark off manic visions in the hoboes stumbling along East Hastings…
The Sex Life of Plants and Other Curios (2004)
Group Exhibition, Studio 121, East 5th Avenue – December
An Arthurian quest is under way. The Grail: evidence of love, sex, the divine and the eternal, out there in our daily world. Not merely the abstract concepts. Oh no.
For this search, only concrete reality will suffice. For indefeasible proof of their existence, distinct clues revealing the clear intent and expression of the Atman are required.
Together, in rather the way the builder of a house alludes to the essence of a larger, more solid structure, these images collectively, perhaps circumstantially, point towards a judgement. Is there evidence that has been overlooked? Can it be that He would trouble himself to erase every handprint? Brick by brick. Pixel by pixel. Clue by clue. Such is the process of building a case. Such are the means to enable the best decision, based only on the available facts.
The Sex Life of Plants and Other Curios
Many of the more concrete signs were observed at a place by the seaside. Several of the more visual, fleeting traces were captured during a season in Alberta. Some of the evidence, of perhaps a more personal nature, was gathered during a honeymoon at Cabo de Trafalgar. And still other, sometimes more oblique hints, were picked up right here in the rainforest.
Yet, whatever their geographical origin, and despite the meticulous nature of their assemblage, it should be remembered that the period over which each phenomenum was recorded was in all cases between 1/60th and 1/1000th part of one second. The viewer must be cautioned that, even together, the exhibits displayed here constitute little more than an instant from a possible infinity of instants.
It is the opinion of this seeker that the outcome of this preliminary investigation may well prove to be generalizable to other locations and other moments. It is, however, freely conceded that this may have as much to do with the viewer as with the exhibits themselves.
I wish you the best.
In your own quest.
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