Penelope Print

I began taking photographs with a Kodak Instamatic film camera when I was nine years old.  I drew early inspiration from my Grandmother, who always had her twin-lens Rolleiflex camera nearby to document our family and events.  I was amazed at her adept use of the awkward camera (in order to see the image to be shot, a Rolleiflex user had to look down into a view-box to see the potential image, rather than through a viewfinder found on cameras today) and so enjoyed sitting by her side to review the photos taken.  Further inspiration was gained from my Dad (who pursued photography of animals and nature scenes) and my Stepdad (who was a fine art painter focused on abstract works).  What a joy to have been surrounded by such creative family members who collectively sparked a keen interest in photography and art in me that carries forward to this day. I was fortunate to grow up and live most of my life in the Southwest, surrounded by impressive landscapes ripe for photographic exploration.  These colorful surroundings were the target of my early photographic efforts as I endeavored to capture their panoramic beauty on film. Later in early adulthood, driven by my love of vibrant color and detail and my Stepdad’s passion for abstract art, I turned my attention to the opposite end of the photographic spectrum, Macro form.  Macro form photography endeavors to bring the unassuming, often-overlooked vibrancy and detail of the very small to the fore.  Once again, my Southwest surroundings facilitated this change of emphasis as the land is often enrobed in some of nature’s most colorful and detailed of subjects, flowers.  Macro photography of flowers captures for the viewer both the grandeur and the complexity of a simple flower — rich in color, structure and texture.  My goal when photographing flowers is to get as close to the inside of a flower as possible in order to reveal the amazing detail and color of the seemingly simple.  So close, in fact, that the viewer can often perceive my flower image as abstract art. Whether Macro or landscape, my “vision” as an artist is to bring to you the natural occurrences as I see them.  Each of my photographs is a graphic presentation of my vision.