In 1981 my art style moved towards photo-realistic drawings and paintings. As a result I started taking photos that I could use as reference for the drawings. After a while I realized I didn’t like the process of creating photo-realistic images – being in a dark studio with a slide projector wasn’t much fun – so I moved away from the use of photo references.
But in the meanwhile I had gotten hooked on photography and started seeing all the various bits and pieces of images I had been gathering as wonderful raw material for collage. I have been doing photo-collages as one of my main artistic avenues ever since.
The images today are from a number of series I did combining photo-collages into books, letters or over pre-existing images.
Rejection Suite
These two are from a series of rejection letters I received from colleges and universities to which I applied for teaching positions. I collaged rejected photographs on top of them. I left showing words and phrases I thought were particularly enlightening regarding the idea and reality of rejection.
‘Reconcile the Impersonal, photo-collage on paper, 1986
‘The Bearer of Sad Tidings / Whatever’, photo-collage on paper, 1992
The Body in Bondage
I took photos of parts of bodies that were ‘in bondage’ for one reason or another, then glued them into the book titled ‘Of Human Bondage’
‘Teeth in Bondage’, photo-collage in book titled ‘Of Human Bondage’‘Feet in Bondage’, photo-collage in book titled ‘Of Human Bondage’
Impressionist Compositions
I photographed the impressions left on the skin after things were taken off, such as bracelets, shoes, straps, etc. Then I collaged them on top of Impressionist paintings.
‘Impressionist Composition #8, photo-collage and painting, Claude Monet and Marty Coleman, 1891-1983
Impressionist Composition #6, photo-collage and painting, Vincent Van Gogh and Marty Coleman, 1890-1983
Flint Creek in Fog, New Life Ranch, Oklahoma, 1990s
My daughters went to camp here for many years. We also went to family camp a number of times as well. It was down in a valley so the fog would often settle in pretty thick in the mornings.
Cadillacs and Barbed Wire, Amarillo, Texas, 2009
The Cadillac Ranch is an art installation in an empty field west of Amarillo. We always try to stop there on our drives to California as sort of a pilgrimage.
Sunrise as if I Were on the Plains of Africa
Amazingly enough, this scene was out my back door in Glenpool, Oklahoma. But it was like nothing I had ever seen before and it led me to imagine it was on the savanna of Africa.
Infinity Marsh, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, 2009
It was a perfect day for a marsh visit; cool, overcast, misty, and humid.
The City and the Mountains, Seattle, Washington, 2011
We had a tourist pass to a number of sites in Seattle, including 2 trips up the Space Needle. The girls weren’t interested in going a second time so I went by myself with my camera at dusk.
Golden Gate Silhouette, San Francisco, California, 2007
My family has a long history in the San Francisco Bay Area. I first went across the bridge when I was perhaps 11 or 12 years old to visit my cousin who lived in Marin County just to the north of it. I lived in SF and San Jose for a number of years and went over the bridge many times, walking and driving. This was a new view for me though. We took a ferry to Sausalito and Angel Island. I was able to see the bridge in relationship to the shore, hills and homes along the route in ways I had not seen before.
Composition with Saguaro Skeleton, Saguaro National Park, Arizona
My daughter and I went to San Diego to pick up a car that my father was giving to us. On the drive home through Arizona we stopped at the National Park. Caitlin started her love affair with Cacti at that time.
Curve of the Earth with Dead Tree, Volcano National Monument, New Mexico, 2000s
A little known spot in the scheme of all the great national parks and monuments, Capulin Volcano is a perfect circular cone volcano that you can walk up. The view from the top, with nothing but flat land all around, was pretty spectacular.
Landscape with Birds, Trees and Horses, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, 2009
One doesn’t have to go far from home in Oklahoma to see scenes like this. This spot was just about a mile from my old house.
Starting back in the 1980s I developed a photographic fascination for backs. It started when a model I was photographing for a project got cold feet about doing the nudes we had planned. We were already the location, a beach with dramatic cliffs and incredible textures and colors. At first it seemed to be a bothersome restriction but I soon found unexpected creative opportunities spending the day photographing her and her back.Since then I have always looked for, and found, great backs everywhere I go. The broad, subtle landscape of the back, especially when combined with clothing that overlaps it with beautiful designs, textures and colors, or tanlines that create elegant layers, always offers beauty. In the last decade the prominence of tattoos has added another element of significance and interplay that keeps me interested.
Here is a slide show of a few of my ‘Backs and Straps’ over the years.
These black and white film portraits were taken in the late 80s and early 90s in and around San Jose, California.
Bob, Eulipia Restaurant, 1990s
He was an aspiring actor and a restauranteur. I took this photo for his actor head shot portfolio in the restaurant he co-owned.
Leslie, San Jose, California, 1990s
I met her through a mutual friend. She wanted some glamorous images of herself before she hit her 30th birthday. I was upstairs in her home changing lens while she went downstairs to get ready for the next set. I happen to see the last bit of sunlight come through a high window and fall on her couch. I quickly directed her to jump on the couch as is and get her face into the light. This is the result less than a minute before the sun sliver disappeared.
Sharon and Carol, Santa Clara County, 1990s
The woman on the left was a customer of mine when I waited tables. We became friends and eventually she hired me to do some family portraits of her and her sister. They were a bit competitive for the spotlight and it was fun to compose and direct them so they both could shine.
Ruth, Santa Cruz, California, 1990s
There is a fantastic beach north of Santa Cruz, California with caves, cliffs and sand in myriad textures and forms. This friend wanted to take some natural portraits in a beautiful light environment and this is the place we chose.
Julie, San Jose, California, 1990s
Sometimes simple and easy does the trick. We were behind a friend’s apartment trying to figure out some photo locations when I spotted her just sitting and waiting for something to happen. It was the best shot of the day.
Lauri, San Jose, California, 1990s
Symmetry can often be pretty boring but in this case the little bit of translucence to the outdoor wall gave enough difference between the sides to make a strong dynamic interplay with her pose.
I took a LOT of slides back in the 80s. My then father-in-law was a big slide film fan and I became one as a result. I recently decided to experiment with scanning these old slides on my flat bed scanner. The results are evocative and mysterious.
Since it’s such a hot summer I thought I would post a selection of summer photos from that era.
Diver, Almaden Swim and Racquet Club, San Jose, California, 1980sSwimmer, Almaden Swim and Racquet Club, San Jose, California, 1980sDigging, Santa Cruz, California, 1980sFlip, Almaden Swim and Racquet Club, San Jose, California, 1980sSunbather, San Jose, California, 1980s
I have set aside several Sundays to show you some of my photography. I used film until 2005 so any images predating then you can assume are film images, any after that will be digital.
Woman With Oval, 1980
In 1980 I started graduate school at Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. There was a young woman manning the gift shop at the museum and she allowed me to do a series of portraits of her. The best of the bunch were the oval series with the ceiling light alcove being the only other thing in the image.
Woman in Snow and Mist, 1981
My wife at the time had a job at a restaurant in the nearby town. A fellow waitress was hoping to do some modeling so we took some time to do some portfolio shots. We also did some shots on a very gray, foggy day that were mysterious and moody. These were my favorite shots from that year.
Woman and Triangle, 1980
I got a work-study job in the Cranbrook Museum, helping to install exhibitions. One of them was a conceptual art exhibition that took up all the galleries. One of the rooms was a series of geometric wall drawings in pastel by Sol LeWitt. We did the actual drawings with specific instructions from LeWitt as to how they should be realized. When I had some time off from the project I brought in a fellow student and took some photos of her with the walls being prepped as a background.
