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John Brooks
About
Born in the UK he was educated in Bath and majored in Art and Art history and History of Building. At 21 he acquired his first Rolleiflex 6 x 6 and never looked back.
He has had exhibitions, both solo and joint of his work and was exhibited by invitation at the Arnolifini Gallery, Bristol in the "On Site” exhibition and in the Royal West of England Academy of Art open exhibition 2011.
He concentrates on street photography and some landscape work and published his book “Hidden in View Photography” this year.
Any artform is a personal matter of taste and the interaction of the viewer with the subject matter. My years of study of architectural form through my work has shaped my perception of this subject. Also the artist has travelled extensively around the world since an early age. Consequently the many cultures and varieties of landscape have influenced his view of the world.
I have been particularily inspired by the work of Callahan and very much admire the work of, in no particular order, Steve Hiett, Robert de Gast, Paul Graham and Joel Meyerowitz. In the first 20 years of my work all images were created with my 50 year old Rolleiflex using Kodak VPS or Portra color negative emulsion rated at 160ASA.
Over the last five years my work has been created using digital cameras and this has provided an interesting and almost instant accessibilty to me for reviewing my compositions. However, this has not in any way altered my approach or encouraged me to take more photographs.
Using an extemely light and colour sensitive camera fitted with a Leica lens has certainly made a difference in terms of the sensitivity and depth of composition which I believe is a good thing. Additionally more images now include people. I also do not believe in cropping images so you get what I saw!
I still use the Rolleiflex and also a vintage 5x4 Crown Graphic Special and a modern 5x4 Cambo field camera for landscapes. Film takes a lot of beating and it feels good and the cameras are a joy to use, especially rising tilting fronts and backs. Goodbye parallax!
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- Location
- Bristol, Southwest, United Kingdom
- Website
- http://www.johnbrooksphotography.co.uk
Much of my work has been in the recording and documentation of historic buildings as part of my involvement in conservation. I am fortunate in that my work takes me to distant parts of the globe when lecturing at various universities and institutions. Thereby I have the opportunity to record the various elements of the environment that I find interesting in addition to the "real" aspects of daily life for the indigineous population rather than the "tourist perception" that otherwise might prevail.
My travelling is independent and not organised, conducted or guided by any third party. So complete freedom of choice is afforded me in my travels and exploration of the environment.
I also set myself various projects relating to a theme such as a particular aspect of a local environment, occupation or industry. Above all my creative work has to challenge me and make me consider different aspects of the subject matter. Hence my recently published book "Hidden in View - Photography 2011" which promotes those parts of our environment which are often unobserved, overlooked, unconsidered, disregarded as unimportant and ignored.
The study of the form of the environment as regards shape, texture, colour, juxtaposition, abstraction, contextuality will often reveal great beauty and interest in the mundane, plain or ugly parts of what surrounds us. … Read More
Educated in Bath at secondary level and A level with a particular strength in art, design, history of building and architecture he went on to become a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Building and currently sits on the board a the specialist conservation group of the institute. … Read More
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Events & Exhibitions
Exhibitions
Stillpoint Art Gallery, Brunswick, Maine USA, Sacred Time, Sacred Places, 7th November 2012 to 5th February 2013
Man Made Spaces and Structures, Exhibitions Without Walls, October 16th to November 30th 2012 - Finalist and "Best in Competition" Award
Artists Connect, St Georges, Brandon Hill, Bristol, 8th October to 4th November 2012
Artists Connect, The Parlour, Park Street, Bristol, 27th August to 1st September 2012
The Cork Street Open Exhibition, The Cork Street Gallery, 27 - 28 Cork Street, London W1S 3NG, August 23rd to August 31st 2012
The Parlour Gallery, 31 College Green, Bristol, August 23rd to August 31st
The Human Experience, Exhibitions Without Walls, August 16th to September 30th 2012
Stillpoint Art Gallery, Brunswick, Maine USA, Elements of Art: Texture, 1st August to 6th November 2012
Art Takes Times Square, New York, USA 18th June 2012 onwards.
f/16 Second Look Exhibition, 30th April - 15th May 2012, The Grain Barge, Mardyke Wharf, Hotwell Rd, Hotwells, BS8 4RU
Stillpoint Art Gallery, Brunswick, Maine USA, Still Point IV, 18th April 2012 to 31st july 2012
Bristol-Autism-Project-Fundraising-Art-Explosion-Show-Auction, Centrespace Gallery, Bristol April 2012
Stillpoint Art Gallery, Brunswick, Maine USA, Abstraction Attraction, 16th November 2011 to 14th February 2013 and the "Spirit of Place - Spirit of Home" Exhibitions from 16th November 2011 until 14th February 2013
Royal West of England Academy of Art, 159th Autumn Exhibition, 30th October - 31st December 2011
Stillpoint Art Gallery, Brunswick, Maine USA, Places & Spaces, July 27th to October 4th 2011
Symbiose Gallery, Breda, Netherlands, Open Exhibition, 4th August to 12th August 2011
Royal West of England Academy of Art, Open Photography Exhibition, 20th Feb 2011
The Atrium, All Saints’, Clifton, Bristol, May 1985
Co-existence, Pulteney Street, Bath and Covent Garden, London, June 1978
Arnolfini Gallery, Bristol, “On Site” exhibition 23rd November to 23rd December 1976
Photographers Gallery Over the Rainbow, Bristol, Solo exhibitions 1972, 1974, 1975
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