Squash Blossoms #1 of 10 Photograph - Limited Edition of 1

For the past 12 years I have lived in Oakland California, and the past 30 or so years in and around California. Originally from Indiana where the summers days were long and the winter season seemed to go on forever. My childhood house was full of art and music. My father played music on his piano or organ nearly every night and my mother painted in oils and watercolors. My fine art photography is an extension of my explorations in still life. I have long been a fan of the Dutch Golden Age paintings of the 17th century. I strive to reproduce the light and look of those paintings. Having a Flemish grandfather, a mother who spent many hours at an easel painting still life and landscape the need to create this imagery seems to be inborn. Whenever I have a free moment, and inspiration, I create a still life with the resources that surround me. The old world painters usually painted the riches of their world accompanied by nature morte to give a sense of time, place and inevitability. This, accompanied with family nostalgia, is my goal as well. My life in Oakland now reflects my midwestern roots. I sometimes feel like a tourist on urban adventures, and it doesn't take long to get to rural California and enjoy a slower pace.