Roy Pittman – Artist's Statement

The scale does not not matter, the subject does not matter. Whether I am looking at a mountain range from miles away or looking through a high power microscope there is always beauty to be seen. This world is filled with amazing lovely things visible from all vantage points. I do my work because this beauty captivates me and I want to do something about it, I want to share it with others. Fascinated that beauty surrounds us all I have worked many years to see it more fully and to stay mindful of it. The two great pleasures I have found here are that I do see the beautiful everywhere I go and I can bring this experience to others through my artwork. I could not say that one of these enriches my life more that the other. Both fulfill me.

While living in Japan as a child Roy had an awakening to esthetics. Seeing gardening, architecture, swordsmithing and painting done with mastery in a culture where he and his ways were foreign was eye-opening. The influence of Japanese arts is visible in his work today. Roy studied at Prescott College and at California Institute of the Arts from 1969 through 1975, mentored by Jay Dusard and Frederick Sommer. From them and from many hours in the darkroom he learned a foundation for composition and exacting methods of printing that make full use of the potentials of silver prints. During this time Roy had one-man shows at Prescott College in Arizona and at Laguna Gloria Museum in Austin, Texas. He also exhibited work in juried shows at Friends of Photography in California, at the University of Arizona and at New York State University. While supporting a family by working as a surveyor, as a teacher and as a registered nurse Roy continued his artwork in those hours that could be found. Roy has now returned to his art full time using new methods of photography, new ideas for composition and a new understanding of the importance of beauty in our lives.