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Noted and acclaimed Photographer John Dugdale will be displaying 17 of his newly-framed works in Milne’s At Home Antiques and Gallery during Kingston’s First Saturday, September 7, 2013 from 5 – 8 PM.
John’s pictures are influenced by 19th century imagery, as seen in his dream-like portraits or in his ordered still-lives. From image to presentation the artist’s hand is apparent. He began to use an antique large format camera that makes an 8 x 10 inch negative, which can be contact-printed onto hand coated photosensitive paper, to make a finished image. He initially learned to make cyanotype prints, a rustic straight-forward process, which uses iron salts and the light of the sun to produce an ethereal blue image; this was the first permanent medium in photography’s early history.
Here is a Q&A with John to give you a better understanding of his background and what brought him to displaying his work here at Milne At Home Antiques and Gallery.
1. When did you realize you wanted to be a photographer?
When I was given my first toy camera in 1971 when I was eleven.
2. Have you always wanted to be a photographer?
No, I wanted to be a painter, but considering that i couldn’t even draw my own name, painting seemed out of the question. I was in my joy when I rediscovered photography in the 11th grade.
3. What inspires you most to take photos?
After the change in my sight, classic prose such as Walt Whitman, Dickinson, Emerson, Jane Austin, Thoreau, The Bronte Sisters, among others became the most important form of inspiration for me, as well as Bach, which I love. Greek myths were illustrated as well as biblical parables. My other very important source of inspiration is an acute visual memory bank. Thank goodness I traveled to see the great works of art in the world before my sight change. They are all permanently etched into my mind. I call on them often.
4. What is the main objective that you would like to accomplish through your artwork?
To translate pain into beauty.
5. What type of photo is your favorite to take?
The most successful photographs for me are deeply personal and self-referential. I much prefer to photographs the people who are close to me in my life, if they are not close when I meet them, I like to wait until we are.
6. What was your biggest hurdle as a photographer to reach the point you are at now?
The truth, I don’t believe I’ve had any serious hurdles, even including my sight change.
7.What would you say is the theme of your photos to be displayed within Milne at Home Antiques?
The ever-present luminescent light that is particular to the Mid-Hudson Valley, the experience of living on my farm in quietude, and my love for the ephemeral from the eighteenth and nineteenth century.
We hope to see you here during Kingston’s First Saturday where you can meet John Dugdale. He will be bringing 25 signed copies of his favorite book, Life’s Evening Hour, that was published in 2000, which he would be happy to personalize for you.