David Willis

David Willis

New York, NY, United States

About David Willis

I have been a photographer for over 50 years exploring the dynamics of photographic space. My range of experience includes work with almost all photographic media including: large format 4”x5” and 8”x10”; medium format, 35mm black and white and color; 16mm film; multi-media presentations and work in video. In the seventies I designed and constructed one of the first virtual reality cameras designed to record complete 360 degree by 180 degree spherical environments. At that same time I began working with color analogue prints and was interested in the visual metaphorical relationships between images. These were displayed as mounted “two-page” spreads. In the eighties I began my first explorations with digital photography using one of the earliest 2.5 Photoshop program. I scanned negatives from my archive of analogue color negatives and created virtual panoramic and metaphorical compositions. In the eighties and until the present I have worked almost exclusively using digital media. I have worked on six portfolios--“The Sphericals”, The Two Page Spreads”, “The South West”, The “New York Series”, “The Planoscapes” and the “Metaphorical Con Series”. All of the images in my portfolios are outputted as archival Gyclee prints on 20 inch by 24 inch Moab Entrada paper.

Education:

1972: MFA, Master in Fine Arts, Photography, Visual Studies Workshop, SUNY, Buffalo
Graduated in Nathan Lyon’s inaugural class with multi-media thesis

1969: BFA, Bachelor in Fine Arts, Photographic Illustration/Fine Arts; Rochester Institute of Technology

Events:

GRANTS

New York State Council on the Arts for pin-hole camera work; Richard Wilson private Grant for production of “The Crystal” a one hour video documenting one man’s journey through the streets of Rochester, New York; Community Arts Public Service Grant for work with City School in Rochester, New York

PERFORMANCES (multi-media projections with dancers): Outside the Gate Dance Company, Pyramid Art Gallery and Mime Workshop, New York; College of Arts, Nova Scotia College of Art; Rochester Institute of Technology and New York State College of Ceramics

Exhibitions:

ONE PERSON: Village Gate Gallery and Francis Gallery, Rochester, New York and St. Bonaventure University, Bonaventure, New York

INVITATIONAL: Through a Pinhole Darkly, Amsterdam; Ward Gallery, New York and Alumni Exhibition, Visual Studies Workshop, New York

THREE-PERSON: Museum of the Hudson Highlands, New York

JURIED: Finger Lakes Shows, ’88, ’89, ’90; Arnot Regional Competition and Three Rivers Art Festival