Much of the artwork is for sale.  Some of the trad media originals and single print (i.e., editions of one) digitals are no longer available. In some cases I have pigment inkjet (sometimes called giclée prints) editions of the trad pieces available. Almost all of the photographs and digital paintings are available, some in limited editions. Contact me here to discuss making a purchase.

 

If you’re going to buy some of my work I want you to be happy with it, and the best way to maximize that possibility is for us to discuss what you are after and for me to explain a bit about my prints; that way both you and I are clear about what you are purchasing. It is important for you to know what options are available to you for the particular piece you are interested in and then, based on what you choose, I can give you a realistic lead time estimate for completing your order. I produce each print individually and nothing leaves my studio until I am happy with it.   While each order is unique, typically non-edition prints might be $40 - $100, limited edition prints might be $300 - $600, and trad media originals might be $150 - $4000.

 

 

No, probably not from me. If I happen to have the piece you want already framed and you can physically pick it up in Seattle then we can discuss it. But, realistically speaking, I recommend you take your piece to a professional frame shop. The pro framers will do a nice job for you and I’m happy to provide ideas on how to have it framed if you like.  

 

Giclée (zee-clay) is a French term meaning spray (or to spray), and was coined by John Duganne. Duganne was one of the pioneers of inkjet printing as a fine art process. Originally, a giclée was a particular type of inkjet print made from a digitized trad media piece. Typically, the term is now used more broadly to refer to any type of high quality inkjet print. Because the terminology has become less than precise (in my opinion) I prefer to use a more descriptive general term; my prints are pigment inkjet prints. Specifically, Ultrachrome Prints (color) and Piezography Prints (black & white). 

 

At the moment yes. All of my editions are printed individually in my studio, by me, on high quality cotton rag papers using only pigment inks. See here for more about my prints. 

 

The short answer is yes, given proper handling and display. I print using only pigment inks on high quality inkjet specific cotton rag papers. I coat my prints with a minimum of three coats of a sealant made specifically for inkjet prints to help protect the print from UV, moisture, physical abrasion damage, etc. In addition, I recommend storing the images out of direct light until they are framed behind glass, and I’m currently exploring other print coating options that I hope will make the utility of framing behind glass less necessary—I’ll post more on that when the work is completed. 

The truth of the matter is that all artwork (including trad photographs) is subject to and impacted by the vagaries of nature. Sunlight (UV), moisture, pollutants in the air, bacteria, and fungi all can take their toll so the trick is to maximize the potential for longevity of a piece of artwork; “permanence” is both relative and dependent (in part) on how the work is handled and displayed—that’s just the way it is. 

 

The photos you see on the site are from several sources. Images from color negatives, B&W C41 process negatives, and digital “negatives” are included. I currently no longer use color negative film at all, and the B&W film only occasionally. More on film/digital here , and film processing here. 

 

Surprisingly to some folks, I use Photoshop. And no, I don’t start with photos, scans, or anything else - just an empty (blank) new document. I generally use gradient creation tools, a wide variety of blending modes, a lot of layers, and smart objects. I also use a Wacom Intuos3 tablet to facilitate a lot of painting/drawing with masks, and I frequently utilize some typical photo tools & filters like USM, curves, etc. 

 

Photoshop. Currently version CS2 (upgrade to CS3 in progress). Why Photoshop? Well, not because it is intuitive or cheap - that’s for certain. This software has the steepest learning curve of almost any I’ve learned, but it is tremendously powerful, is updated regularly, other folks/vendors write lots of good plug-ins for it, and there are a ton of resources out there to help you no matter what level of knowledge of the software you have. I tried a few other packages first, and wish I hadn’t wasted my time and money. 

 

I’ve been writing seriously in some form or another for more than 20 years. I’ve been writing poetry on and off for most of my life and seriously (i.e., getting regular critique, reading poets purposefully, taking poetry writing classes, etc.) for about 7 years. 

 

I’ve been published in a variety of journals and one anthology. Details are here in my list of published poems.  

 

Currently I don’t have any books published.  Contact me here if you’d like to be added to my notification list - I’ll be sure to let you know when new publications come out. You can see examples of my published poems here. 

 

I took writing classes formally as part of my undergrad degree, and in-depth technical writing courses while I was employed as a scientist, and I continue to take six week writing courses 2 – 3 times each year. I’ve taken classes at Discover-U in Seattle and found some of them extremely valuable, and even though it is hit or miss, I would still recommend checking it out; it is affordable, is typically a 3 – 8 hour commitment, and can be an easy way to sharpen up skills and learn some tricks of the trade.    

My favorite place to study writing however, is the Richard Hugo House in Seattle. At Hugo House, I find consistent high value courses and some of the best classes I’ve ever taken anywhere. In my experience, all the instructors are excellent, but if you have a chance to work with Deborah Woodard who teaches there regularly don’t pass it up—she’s both a wonderful poet and an amazing high-energy instructor who has helped me bring innumerable new dimensions to my work.  

 

In the workshop arena, if you have the opportunity to work with Lana Hechtman Ayers in a workshop setting, do so—she is the best workshop leader I’ve ever had the pleasure to work with. Lana’s poetry is lovely and her workshops supportive and immensely generative. 

 

Because often you need to subscribe to the journals, or pay a fee to access the content. But you’re really not missing anything. Take my word for it, these papers deal with the minutia of the minutia of the details of particular proteins. Good work and interesting to those in the field, but it’s pretty dry stuff :-). 

 

I shoot about 99% digital. The only film I ever shoot any more is a C41 process (same process as for color negatives) B&W film, Kodak Pro CN400. I like the exposure range and the look of the film and equally it allows me to use a favorite old lens that isn’t compatible with my current gear. Given that I’m very pleased now with my B&W images from digital negs the additional work-flow steps needed to use the film just don’t offer much payback anymore. Probably, by the time you read this I will be 100% digital.  

 

I don’t shoot film as a rule. When I do, it is Kodak Pro CN400 which is a C41 process black and white film (it is processed just like color negative film, rather than trad B&W film) and I take that to the local Kits Camera shop where it gets run through the 1 hour minilab processor. With this type of film (and color negative films too), the auto processes available in the typical minilab process the film just fine. This is not the case with slide film. With slide film you need to get it to a shop that is used to dealing with slide film and it is important to communicate well with whomever you have process your transparency film to make sure they don’t make any exposure adjustments that you don’t want made. 

 

I use a Nikon D70 SLR and a Canon S70 fixed lens depending on the situation. The Canon is the camera I always have with me for those shots I would otherwise miss, and the Nikon is my tool of choice for planned shooting sessions. I use a variety of lenses for the SLR: Nikkor 24-85 f2.8-4D, Nikkor 17-35 f2.8D, Nikkor 12-24 f4G, Tamron, SP AF24-135 f3.5 -5.6, Tamron AF70-300 f4-5.6 DI 

 

My first criteria was pixel size and count (megapixels). Second, the camera had to be comfortable in my hands, which are pretty small. Third, the weight had to low enough that I would readily carry it around urban hiking or backpacking in the woods. Fourth, the camera had to have a lens mount for which a wide variety of lenses were available. I test drove two different cameras that seemed to fit the basics I was looking at. For both of the cameras the quality (i.e., lack of noise, color accuracy, sensor / pixel size, breadth of camera controls) was comparable with neither being a standout better performer.   So it came down to the fact that the D70 fit my hand really well, I found the controls slightly easier to use (though I don’t think any digital SLRs make the controls as intuitive as they should), and going with Nikon gave me access to my partner’s existing collection of Nikon lenses (generous and appreciated).   The Cannon S70 was the only small point & shoot out there that met my criteria for RAW files and a 6 to 7 megapixel sensor. 

 

Well, I don’t always. I don’t think it is 100% possible to keep everything pristine and still make all the images I‘m interested in. That said, the single best recommendation I can make is to learn to change lenses quickly with the camera body pointing mirror/sensor side down, and get your back to the wind while you are doing it. With the lens collar pointing down, gravity is your friend and a lot less gunk will get into the camera housing. And simply not standing face into the wind will keep all sorts of stuff from blowing into the camera and onto the back element of your lens. Sometimes when conditions are more difficult, like it is snowing/raining and blowing and no matter how I stand I’m getting pelted, I’ll sacrifice a bit of comfort and open my coat and sort of tent it around the camera as I change lenses or CF cards. I also loosen the back lens cap on the lens I’m going to put on before I take the other lens off the camera so that I can get the new lens mounted as quickly as possible. Using this approach religiously, I’ve needed to clean the sensor on my camera exactly one (1) time in 3 years of shooting—and I shoot almost exclusively outside. Unless it is a downpour I typically don’t worry much about a little rain getting on the gear. I always have a cotton or microfiber cloth with me (or several depending) and I just wipe the gear off before I put it back in my bag. If it is raining seriously or I’m at the ocean and am getting pelted with salt spray and/or sand then I use a StormJacket camera cover. 

 

I prefer to shoot in available light whenever possible and don’t even own a hot shoe flash. When I need to set up studio type work (like photographing trad originals for instance) I use hooded work lights (like the ones you can buy cheap at Ace or Home Depot) with “daylight” bulbs and I shoot a grayscale card for color temperature (white balance) correction. 

 

Look at Tripod Tradeoffs and Gorilla pod “hand held” tele in the tips & techniques section for lots of details on this. 

 

My setup for art and writing consists of two Windows XP Professional (32bit) based computers. These two computers share a keyboard, monitor, and mouse. The graphics box uses a second monitor in addition to the main, shared monitor, and the graphics box uses a graphics tablet as its primary “pointing” device. The keyboard and mouse are shared via a simple KVM, but the main monitor is switched manually (using a button on the front of the monitor) due to the near impossibility of obtaining a KVM that won’t degrade the signal/resolution of the main monitor. The main monitor is an Eizo ColorEdge CG210, 21” LCD display; the secondary display is a 15” NEC Multisync.

 

The graphics computer is an HP xw8400 workstation with two Xeon 5140 dual core processors and 4Gb RAM. Graphic processing is handled via a Matrox APVe dual head board, and the audio board is a SoundBlaster XFI stereo sound card. The graphics box runs Photoshop (CS2 moving to 3 currently), Bridge, ProShow, monitor Profiling software, and scanner software, along with some specialty printer drivers, etc.

 

The general use computer is an HP dc7700 with a single Intel E4400 dual core processor and 1Gb RAM. Graphics is handled by an on-board Intel Q965/Q963 graphics chipset, and audio is a simple monaural speaker driven by a standard Realtek high definition audio card. The general use machine runs my email client (Pegasus), MS Office applications, PDA applications, and accounting application. This box also supports a second film scanner for helping out the image making situation when film scanning causes a project bottleneck. 

 

I use three layers of firewall (the Windows firewall, a third party firewall, and a router with an embedded firewall). I use a couple of programs that scan for malware bots at least daily and have real-time malware installation detection. I also use software that checks for programs that might be behaving like malware and notifies me to decide if said programs should run. Last and certainly not least, I employ an antivirus application that scans the full systems daily, as well as automatically scanning each document and application I open, every application of any kind that opens, and incoming and outgoing email. All of the bot and virus scanning databases are updated daily.  

 

No, not as such.   I’m not a professional photographer; I don’t make my living substantially from photography, nor do I take on work for hire. Photography is my tool of choice for some kinds of expression, much like choosing oil pastels over watercolor for example.   I enjoy making images with the camera and find it challenging with lots of room for artistic and technical growth. All that said, if you have a project you think might make a good collaboration, look at my thoughts on collaboration and contact me to discuss potentially working together. 

 

I think that is best addressed in discussion of my poetry, or my images,  and perhaps my narrative bio. If you’re interested in the writers and artists I would say are influences, that list is really just too long and fluid to ever be accurate. Almost every word I read and every image I see has some influence on my work, but the one omnipresent influence on my writing is the incomparable Emily Dickinson. You can look at a pretty random list of writers I read here if you want. Trimpin, Jim Campbell, Michael Schultheis, Ansell Adams, Henri Cartier-Bresson are/were brilliant artists, but so are lots of people. You can check out LensWork magazine for some photographers you may have heard of, many you may not have, and all worth your time to see and contemplate. Here are a few links to visual, sound, and word artists whose work may be of interest to you. 

 

But really, I believe the gig is all about taking in everything you can, letting it churn in the mill, and in the end moving through and beyond everything you’ve experienced to follow what calls uniquely to you. 

 

Honestly, I try to remember to get refreshed before I get to a state I would call blocked. But of course I run out of steam and hit the wall sometimes. Regardless of the degree of creative slump I’m having, I take a break. When I’m feeling tired and flat and have decided that every creative thing I’ve ever done simply sucks and who I am I kidding with all this art and writing baloney—I need to go get a real job…I know I need a break. A real break. Not one of those, “I’ll read this great book on creativity and that will fix me” kinds of breaks—an actual, honest to goodness, break from trying to create or fix anything. 

 

Sometimes a couple of old Perry Mason or NYPD Blue episodes will do it, and sometimes cleaning the house and doing some laundry will do it, and sometimes I need a couple of days working in the garden. Sometimes, I need to get out into the world and just soak it in for a while. But I find that as soon as I really let go of trying to create and get involved in something else I care about (and there are lots of other things I care about for sure), creativity will come to find me without me looking for it, and usually it comes around sooner rather than later. The key to the whole thing for me seems to be that when I feel the creative pull, I stop what I’m doing immediately, and respond to it. I might only be able to take 30 seconds, but I grab something to write on and jot down a line or two, or an idea for an image, or I grab a camera and capture what I saw.   If I have more time, then great, I keep following where things are going. But as long as I don’t ignore what comes up and I jot down whatever fragment of thoughts I have time to, the pull to get back to creative work consistently reappears post haste.  

 

Doesn’t it just bite that this is a question we have to deal with? Not to be a Naive Nelly, but I’d like to officially ask everyone to just not steal other people’s work. You know, usually people are pretty happy to let you use some part of their work, or purchase it to use if you just ask. O.k., I’ve put that out there and hopefully it will do some good. In the mean time…

 

I suppose, I honestly believe that if someone is really determined to swipe your work they are going to do it. I don’t like it, but I think that is the truth. That said, registering copyright for images is important and you should definitely do it. On websites it is possible to turn off right click which will make it more challenging to pilfer an image. There is a company called Digimarc offering “digital watermarking” and tracking services that you might find worth checking out. The Digimarc stuff involves imbedding an “imperceptible” watermark in the image data and the services include tracking and on-line backup features. Note: the service requires an annual subscription. For text, your copyright should be noted on everything somewhere and I think it doesn’t hurt to indicate on your website / blog that you would be pleased if folks wanted to use your writings and/or images for something but to contact you for permission. It is, of course, up to you to decide what parts of your work are available for free and what should be paid for. I think it is important to immediately notify anyone who you find using any of your work without your permission. Here’s some brief, plain English information about the legal aspects of copyright/infringement. And here is an in-depth discussion of Fair Use, a concept worth getting acquainted with. 

 

Well, I listen to a lot of music in general, but unless I’m working with trad medias I typically don’t listen to music while I’m working. If/when I do, it is usually one/some of the following: Fennez, Mogwai, AUN, Amon Tobin, David Grollman, Jesse Canterbury, Lucio Mengon, Lumper/Spliter, GSYBE, Keith Fuller Whitman, Aa, Buckethead…the list evolves. 

 

Kayt Hoch – long A, long O, CH = K sound – like it was spelled kate hoke.