Duskwork

The Duskwork series was done in the early 1980’s shortly after having moved to California. I was exploring the glitz and intense color one associated with the golden state as well as the remarkable intensity possible with transparency film and glossy Cibachrome printing.

Scenes of the Pacific War

In August 1945, my father Burt Johnson was in the Pacific along with hundreds of thousands of others preparing to invade Japan when the first atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, ending the war. The invasion became an occupation. My personal interest led me to an investigation of the images from that theater of battle that became a source of creative inspiration for me. I was additionally motivated to create this series by the amazing footage from World War II airing on the History Channel, some of it available to the public for the first time. I realized I could still-frame videotapes with the television outside and have an image from the Pacific War floating near the dusk sky. Added to this, I could generate my own light with filtered strobe as I had been doing previously. With scenes of the Pacific War, I had content that matched the drama and intensity of the medium. Like many photographers at the time, I had migrated to the extraordinary color and intensity of the Cibachrome print. It was, however, too perfect for the idea and I began to spray paint with auto enamel on the shiny, pristine surface stencils and other masking materials. The result is the series you see here: “Cibachrome” color intensity contrasted with the dull and textured layering of auto enamel spray. These are now available as archival pigment prints using the latest Epson HDR inks

16” x 20” Cibachrome with auto enamel spray

Signs of Life

Using the magic dusk light and transparency film I used neon lights combined with a globe to explore an unexpected slightly surreal view. Inspired by images of the earth from space, the series focuses on the Southern Hemisphere- exactly the area where we in the Northern Hemisphere don’t normally look for “Signs of Life” and where a viewer from space would have no reason not to.