Artist Statement
I create with the hope that my photographs reveal what I saw and felt. I work to hone my craft so that “the seeing” is realized in the final print. My work endeavors to, as Robert Bresson notes; “make visible what might never have been seen.” The urban, the rural, the wild, the cultivated, the decaying, the reclaimed, the grand, and the intimate.
My images are rendered on large format black and white film. I utilize a 4×5 camera and various lenses to help me ensure everything in the final photograph has a reason for being there. I develop my film at home and craft fine art prints in silver gelatin, platinum/palladium, and pigment inks using traditional practices.
Bio
Jeff was introduced to photography by his father. At a young age he carefully observed him making photographs in the field and gelatin silver prints in the darkroom.
Mesa, Arizona has always been home.
Jeff is inspired by the role photography has played in documenting the landscape of the American West. The contemporary work of Mark Citret, Austin Granger, Mark Klett, and others provide creative influence.
Jeff Welker