This month, we feature two members for our showcase. Scott Kuehner who has been a member since 2005, and Angshuman Sarkar who recently became a member this year. We thank them for their engagement with PCNW and their contributions to this month’s showcase.
Scott Kuehner – Member since 2005
What are you working on?
I consider myself a Large Format Black and White film photographer and as such my ‘work’ has been on hold since PCNW closed last March. So, until COVID passes and PCNW can re-open to rental folks, I’ll continue to study (ie., look at) photography books, B/W photographs, and contemplate topics such as solarization, masking, toning, and lighting, and importantly, how I can use these techniques to help express my vision. Basically, I miss the darkroom.
Having said that, the images included here are color digital photos from last summer’s PCNW Still Life Class. Even so, I think my personal ‘style’ is apparent
Artist Statement
When I first started taking B/W film classes at PCNW I was attracted to the photographic vision of Brett Weston and Don Worth. But as my experience and skills expanded, photographic books about Blumenfeld, Man Ray, Ralph Gibson and their ilk, now also populate my bookshelves.
I believe that the common thread that connects these photographic artists and resonates with my vision is their use of contrast, form, simplicity, and ‘extraction’ as Brett Weston would say, rather than abstraction. In my case, whether photographing trees, chipped paint, models in the studio or flowers on my living room table, I see compositions in terms of the organization of objects, contrast, balance and symmetry. And, simplicity.
As part of an Advanced Black and White Photography class at PCNW, I was able to interview Don Worth. While explaining his printing style, he used a theatrical analogy of how actors exaggerate their emotions so as to ‘project beyond the footlights’. As such, Worth’s compositions are printed so that the viewer makes no mistake as to what the subject of the photograph is. I found this not only an affirmation of what I was trying to do (but didn’t know it at the time), but also as permission to be even more dramatic with my printing. Consequently, I print with the white whites and black blacks only to define the middle grays.
You can find more about Scott’s photography by clicking here.
Angshuman Sarkar – member since 2021
What are you working on?
I recently became a member of your organization. I have been doing landscapes in Black and White for many years now. My website is at www.angshuman.net.
Artist Statement
I try to capture a sense of attachment and intimacy to the landscape through my images. I am drawn to textures because I feel that the textures tell a story of time and the evolution of the land. Be it the erosion of the rocks over millions of years from flooding, or a seasonal harvest that leaves its mark on the field, I try to capture a part of that story and a connection to the land.
I moved to the Pacific North-West about five years back, from Kolkata, India. My formal education is in Computer Science which brings me to this area. But I have always been close to art and have been making images for a long time.
Angshuman has limited edition prints, signed and numbered, on archival material. You can find out more about his photography by clicking here.
A big thank you to Scott and Angshuman for sharing their work, and showing support for PCNW.
If you’re a member of PCNW and would like to share your photographs, we’d love to hear from you. Complete our online form by the 15th of every month and a jury will review your work for consideration. Not a PCNW Member yet? You can join online today!
