Mike Vines - 1970's Black and White Photography

Ground Roof, White Water, California. 1974. Canon FTb with a 28mm lens. High-contrast photography utilizing lithographic film. The subject is a gas station island roof that had been blown over by high desert winds.

    Photography was a natural progression for me from the early days of pondering the many art books that filled my parents bookcases, reproducing the graphic illustrations contained within my mother's nursing books with pen and ink, to experimenting with negative printing in the make-shift darkroom of my bedroom closet.

While the majority of photographers worked to achieve the same low grain/super-sharp/infinite depth-of-field negative quality that Ansel Adams had established many years ago, most of my '70's work consisted of high contrast compositions made with Kodak Lithographic film, and solarized architectural renderings utilizing high-speed recording film.  I enjoyed experimenting with the grains and textures that approached the quality of graphite and charcoal drawings, and attempted to duplicate the delicate space where wood grain and sand mingled in the desert. This required hours of creative and technical discipline in the darkroom and even then you really didn't know exactly what you were going to get until you turned on the lights. Occasionally, you got the look you were after which made all your efforts gratifying and worthwhile, but they were indeed rare. Even Adams said he was doing well if he got one "good" image a year. My output during these times was scarce since I was beginning a career that was taking me to different lands and all my thoughts and efforts went into learning a new technology. But I never overlooked photography, or art for that matter, which had always served as my personal life preservers when times beat me down.

The negatives from which these images were made had survived years of relocation, and serve as an example of why we use archival materials for storage. Without a little foresight I doubt any of these negatives would be around today. This, of course, is not an issue with digital cameras.

The following is not an art review as much as it is shameful self-promotion. These are my favorite images from the '70's and I have made them available for purchase in many formats via imagekind. Please visit my gallery and browse my available works for sale. This would help support my efforts in maintaining this website and I would be grateful for your patronage.

Triple Cross. This hanging cross was a found arrangement in an abandoned shack located in what was a rural area in the north hills of Yorba Linda, Ca. Harsh summer light illuminated the interior from a broken window on the left. The lighting of the corners are the same at a diagonal and adds a sense of balance to the composition. This structure was torn down to make room for an apartment complex which is already 35 years old. Canon FTb with a 28mm lens. f11@1/60. Kodak Panatomic-X film at ISO 32.

Oil Tanks, This night time shot utilizes Kodak 2475 Recording Film and Solarization. Creating an image with a fast film speed and briefly exposing the print to room light during development created an image with a charcoal drawing-like character. The tonality of the film grain and solarization extracted fine details that were initially invisible to the eye. Illumination was from mercury-vapor security lighting on the right. The reflections and shadows on the tanks create a delicate conte drawing appearance. Taken at the Union Oil Refinery in Brea, California in 1974. Canon FTb and a 200mm lens.

Warehouse, Fullerton, Ca. Kodak 2475 recording film and solarization in the darkroom. The water stains running from the window ledge were completely invisible to the eye. Solarization gave this photograph a pleasant charcoal drawing character. Canon FTb with a 200mm lens. 1975. 

Melrose Abby Cemetery Entrance, Anaheim, Ca. Kodak 2475 Recording Film. Canon FTb with a 200mm lens. 1975.

Melrose Abby Cemetery Exterior, Anaheim, Ca. Kodak 2475 Recording Film. Canon FTb with a 200mm lens. 1975.

Melrose Abby Cemetery Chapel Window. Anaheim, Ca. Interior shot of a stained-glass window positioned over the alter of the chapel. Kodak lithographic film. Canon FTb with a 200mm lens. 1975.

Wood and Sand. Texture study taken with lithographic film at White Water, California in 1974. White Water is located a few minutes from Palm Springs and served as a secure telephone relay station during WWII. Once an active little town, it now homes a sizable rock quarry and a trout farm. Canon FTb and a 50mm lens.

 

Overhead Crane. Taken while standing underneath a crane in a rock quarry at White Water, California, with lithographic film. When solarized in the darkroom, the developer created random wisps of moody clouds over the tops of the San Jacinto Mountains and a 3-dimensional effect on the crane. Canon FTb with a 28mm lens. 1974.

Preserving Art for WWIII?

From the Washington Post comes this article about the curator of the National Gallery, Andrew Robinson, and how he is selecting works of art for preservation if World War III should become a reality.

They said, "In the two storerooms that Robison asked not be photographed or their locations disclosed, the black, cloth-lined boxes, each the shape of very large books, bear the label “WW3,” drawn in calligraphy. These in-case-of-World-War-III containers lie ready for any possibility, and in Robison’s absence, security guards have a floor plan that shows their exact location, like an X on a pirate map."

I'm glad to hear our artistic treasures will be preserved for the remnants of mankind, but I'm really curious what Washington knows that we don't know.

David Padworny - "Untitled hh23"

David Padworny, Untitled hh23, 7-1/4" x 6-1/2", pen and ink drawing on paper.

    Did I mention I've always been a sucker for a good drawing? When I ran across David Padworny's colorful and daring art work on his website (www.padworny.com) I spent some time looking for that one (affordable) example of his core artistic skills, and I think I found it. Among vibrantly colored and coarsely textured abstract impressionist works I saw deeply rendered emotional portraits of men and women, a few similarly inspired landscapes and still life's, and several drawing studies of nudes. These were all pleasant and unique enough to cause me to contemplate ownership, but what grabbed my eye (and first impressions are everything concerning art) was this little pen and ink outline rendered portrait of a man. You may have seen this style of portraiture before, its been around for quite some time, but Padworny's work exudes character and motivated me to promptly contact him considering it's purchase. Packaging and delivery was commendable and in short order I was admiring his work in the privacy of my home.

I like everything about this portrait. The relaxed angle of the head and the forward lean of the shoulders adds a comforting spontaneity to the image suggesting that the man is participating in an interesting conversation.  It's style is so natural that it makes me want to say, "I think I know that guy!" It's a subtle but lively composition which I find irresistible to view. You can imagine anything you want for the subject matter being discussed, and you can make the man a neighbor, work acquaintance or even a relative. Whatever gives you pleasure, and the possibilities are endless. This is what I sometimes refer to as "working art" since it tends to motivate the viewer to participate in what the artist has created for us to experience. It is not only something to merely look at and admire (although any art can be a joy to merely look at), but this piece stimulates my imagination into some sort of interactive mood. It is also a pleasure to simply ponder the skillfully placed graphic lines that form the expression and shading of the subject. I can't ask much more than that from any art.

Fortunately, there is an abundance of background information available for David Padworny, the artist, which is a huge benefit to any art collector.  Listed within his well-developed web presence are numerous mentions of his group and solo exhibits, scholastic portfolio, awards and honors and the following brief bibliography:

David Padworny was born in Norristown, Pennsylvania. He studied at the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore. He received a BFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art. David currently lives and works as an Artist in Baltimore, Maryland.

He also notes the following under his early studies:

I was introduced to art through a neighbor, illustrator Mike Adams. From kindergarten through second grade, I would watch him paint children's book illustrations of characters from some of my favorite TV shows, like Fraggle Rock. He would give me large sketchbooks so I could draw on the floor while he worked. I remember how much I liked his lifestyle of working at home on illustrations and cartoons all day, especially in contrast to my father, who worked very hard at a more typical 9-5 job.

Around the time I was in fourth grade, my family moved, and I began modeling for and studying under another neighbor, Sidney Quinn. He purchased supplies for me, introduced me to classes, and (harshly) critiqued my work for years on a regular basis. When I was about ten, I showed him my first large watercolor and counted as he pointed out 27 things wrong! (illustration that I modeled for in Highlights magazine)

Freshman and sophomore years of high school. I began meeting with and receiving critiques from Edson Campos and Chas Rowe.

During my junior year, I was introduced to Barbara Bassett, who was a tremendous influence from that point forth. Her teaching method was derived from Kimon Nicolaides of the Art Students' League of New York and supplemented with the study of art history.

Although I went to her Winter Park studio for lessons a few times a week for years, she would never show me a single one of her paintings, despite my abundant requests. She was a great teacher, I miss her.

While in college at MICA, I studied under Timothy App and Raul Middlemen, who both proved to be major influences.

Also included on his site are links to his online gallery, a mailing list and contact information. How much more information about an artist could you ask for?


I really enjoy Padworny's eclectic range of style and subject matter. When viewing the many works on his website you'll never know what's going to pop into your browser and give cause for thought. His art is both modern and enticing and worthy of your time and consideration. Have a look, and prepare to be intrigued.

Mike-