Michael Northrup
Michael Northrup
Baltimore, MD, United States
About Michael Northrup
The images I've uploaded to Saatchi Online spans almost 40 years of work. Separate bodies of work are represented here. These are not from a single cohesive series but represent different periods of ideas and influence over the years.
I received my BFA in photo from Ohio University 1971. My last term I wrote 7 "famous" photographers to see if I could be an apprentice in the classic sense. I got one solid response from Jack Welpott in San Francisco where I spent 3 months just before graduation. While there Jack introduced me to Frederick Sommer while Fred was lecturing at SF Museum of Modern Art. On my way back to Ohio I stayed with Fred for a very intense week. Two years later I assisted Judy Dater on her portfolio to the Witkin Gallery/NYC. A year later I moved to Boston to work at Eastern Mountain Sports. For the 5 months I spent in Boston I was able to meet and study with Minor White at his home in Arlington. The next year I worked for the summer with Cheri Hiser at The Sun Valley Arts Center. Three years later I moved to Chicago where I received my MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. While there I was personal assistant to Barbara Crane.
STATEMENT:
I love irony... not exclusively, but I have a special appreciation for it. And it underlies a lot of my work. I must have gotten it from my mother as she would laugh at news stories like, "Santa looses fingers while stepping off helicopter to wave at kids". And my dad, being a doctor, surgeon, and corner, would bring humor to the dinner table on things like bowel obstructions and suicides. Both my parents were great at extracting humor out of tragedy and that has given me a way of seeing life. For me creating images is only an arms length away. It's all about my daily life, those meaningful pictures I'm able to extract from it, and the personal photographic vision I bring to those pictures.
www.michaelnorthrup.com
www.strobophoto.com
I received my BFA in photo from Ohio University 1971. My last term I wrote 7 "famous" photographers to see if I could be an apprentice in the classic sense. I got one solid response from Jack Welpott in San Francisco where I spent 3 months just before graduation. While there Jack introduced me to Frederick Sommer while Fred was lecturing at SF Museum of Modern Art. On my way back to Ohio I stayed with Fred for a very intense week. Two years later I assisted Judy Dater on her portfolio to the Witkin Gallery/NYC. A year later I moved to Boston to work at Eastern Mountain Sports. For the 5 months I spent in Boston I was able to meet and study with Minor White at his home in Arlington. The next year I worked for the summer with Cheri Hiser at The Sun Valley Arts Center. Three years later I moved to Chicago where I received my MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. While there I was personal assistant to Barbara Crane.
STATEMENT:
I love irony... not exclusively, but I have a special appreciation for it. And it underlies a lot of my work. I must have gotten it from my mother as she would laugh at news stories like, "Santa looses fingers while stepping off helicopter to wave at kids". And my dad, being a doctor, surgeon, and corner, would bring humor to the dinner table on things like bowel obstructions and suicides. Both my parents were great at extracting humor out of tragedy and that has given me a way of seeing life. For me creating images is only an arms length away. It's all about my daily life, those meaningful pictures I'm able to extract from it, and the personal photographic vision I bring to those pictures.
www.michaelnorthrup.com
www.strobophoto.com
Education
BFA Photography Ohio University-1971
MFA Photography School of the Art Institute of Chicago
MFA Photography School of the Art Institute of Chicago
