Spring Tree Mandala Print

I can remember being fascinated with pictures since I was a child. Media and popular culture were becoming pervasive in daily life during those years and most of my memories are imagined in visual terms. From the age when I was old enough to choose my own music, I knew I wanted to work in some way with my own ideas. For awhile I 'wandered the world' without much direction. When I took my first photography class in college I knew that it was something that I had to do. That was the beginning of my path which I continue on today. Photography brings me a satisfaction that I have come t0 pursue until this very day. I have found commercial outlets to get work and continue in the field but I have always persevered with my own personal artwork. That has always been my driving motivation with photography.“ Artist’s Statement”, by John Flatz My constant search for subjects to photograph leads me to many interesting places. Whether it is going to a predetermined place to find a particular kind of subject matter for an ongoing series, or traveling around in search of inspiration from places and things that I discover, looking at the world for material for my photographic ideas is a constant pursuit for me. Most of my work is a ‘personal documentary’ where the subject is a starting point to look and find visually enticing and evocative images.The visual qualities are what initially entice me to photograph a subject. The implicit meanings add significance on both personal and objective levels. To me, pictures represent a beauty of their own based on the purely visual sensations of the photos. Whether the scene is ‘found’ or set up, the colors and textures, the forms and composition, the spaces of views opening before me are my initial fascination. On another level, the associations with the subject matter and the thoughts they may evoke add an extra depth and dimension. After exploring the visual elements in these pictures, my imagination is stimulated to wonder about the history, associations and meanings, objective or subjective, that are implied or revealed. I am a college trained photographer who works independently on personal art projects while supporting myself by selling my own work and doing commercial assignments. I am influenced by obsessively looking at things and places as well as finding inspiration in viewing others’ photographs and art.