Baker Artist Portfolios

These are dark times.

The blackness of current events has followed me in my visual expression for the last couple of  years. I found, at first, I wasn’t drawn to the joy of color any more, so I created  austere, abstract black and white photographs.

Now, as the country struggles with fascism, I want to specifically address political issues with my photographic work as I have never done before.

I will  also continue creating images to visually express my concerns about the on-going degradation of the natural world. I find most of my inspiration at the intersection of  the man-made and natural environment.

I love photography because I am infatuated with the artistry of  light. I want to capture and preserve that light.

Photographic veracity or stylistic conventions do not prevent me from pursuing my artistic vision. The camera and the process of developing an image are just aids in creating a final artwork. I spend a great deal of time working each image. Today, there are so many ways to create and finish a photographic print. I like to explore the possibilities.

I group my work into series that build understanding of my photographic techniques and narratives. My ideas have their greatest power when the entirety of a series is viewed at one time.

Photography provides me a familiar correspondence with the painting, drawing, metalwork, and textile art I have explored during my career. I use, as well as discover, the brushwork and blending of  paint in my photographs. The linear and textural aspects of drawing are captured and imitated in my photographic prints. My delight in the reflective and surface qualities of metalwork are discovered and photographed in liquid surfaces and window glass. The tactile nature of  textile art can also be simulated in a photographic print by the type of photographic paper that is used. My experience with various mediums has made me realize the phenomenal potential of photography.