Saturday, May 26, 2007

Photographer Profile: Alen Sislen



Alen Sislen is passionate about photography; not just the finished photograph, but also the photographic process of visualizing and then creating the printed image from the millions of pixels, that when combined represent what he experienced when looking through the camera's lens. For him, the photographic process is not complete until he tries to convey to the viewer his excitement, whether produced by the play of light and shadow, by bold colors, by subtle tonalities, by rich textures, or by the intensity or even the calmness of the overall image. His goal is for the viewer to be moved or intrigued by what they see, regardless of whether their reaction is the same as what motivated me to make the image.



While he uses the most modern digital photographic equipment, his style and technique are traditional. In the digital "darkroom" it is not unusual to spend hours "processing" and printing an image that may have taken just 1/30th of a second to "capture." Although he takes advantage of state-of-the-art equipment, digital manipulation is kept to a minimum.



Through photography, he tries to communicate what motivates him to press the shutter release. The writer uses words; the musician uses musical notes; the painter uses brush strokes; the potter uses clay. Photography enables Alen to present the world around us in a way that stimulates more than the sense of sight, but hopefully, also evokes our emotion and imagination.



His greatest influences have been those with whom he has studied, including the well-known British landscape photographer Charlie Waite, widely published former National Geographic photographer Bruce Dale, digital expert Thom Hogan and fine art photographic artist and Photoshop master John Paul Caponigro.

Visit Alen Sislen 's website.

Thursday, May 3, 2007

Artist Profile: Philip Craig



Philip Lorne Craig was born in Ottawa in 1951 and started his career after completing 6 years of studies in life drawing, painting and graphic design. While serving as art director at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in Newfoundland, Philip continued to paint part-time. After a number of exceptionally successful one-man shows he left the CBC to pursue his talents as a painter full-time.



Philip is currently working exclusively in oils. His work is represented by Canada's pre-eminent dealer in Canadian art, David Loch of the Loch Gallery in Toronto. He is also represented by the Diana Paul Gallery in Calgary, the Whistler Village Art Gallery in Whistler and Emma Butler Gallery in St. John's. A wide selection of Philip's images is available in poster form through Canadian Art Prints of Vancouver. His work is included in important collections nationally and internationally, including the collection of Diana, the late Princess of Wales.



Philip spends part of each year touring through the wine regions of Europe, the U.S. and Canada, where the combined experiences of landscape, architecture, food and wine provide the main inspiration for his paintings. Today, Philip resides in Ottawa with his wife Diane, continuing his life as a principal Canadian painter that has spanned more than 30 years.



Visit Philip Craig's website.