Vic Mitchell
Both the grand and the intimate
aspects of nature can be revealed in the expressive photograph. Both
can stir enduring affirmations and discoveries, and can surely help the
spectator in his search for identification with the vast world of
natural beauty and the wonder surrounding him. -- Ansel Adams
Vic lives and breathes photography!
Others have described Vic as bringing a quiet intensity
to his work. Vic's intent is to have his work bring a quiet moment into
the viewer's otherwise busy life.
Vic is an artist working with color positive
photographic materials using a large format camera. The designation, fine art, is sometimes used to indicate
that work is created out of passion for the photographic process as
opposed to commercial purposes. It is this commitment to
photography that informs Vic's work.
This passion for the process also means that his work is
handmade in his own darkroom. He began printing Cibachrome (now Ilfochrome) practically the day it hit
the market and is considered by some as one of our country’s most
accomplished Ilfochrome printers. Yet, realizing the potential of new
color negative films and papers, he is currently exploring these
materials and contemplating a massive switch — the pursuit of
perfection.
Vic uses large
format cameras (4x5 & 8x10) to capture the richest possible
detail in his images. This richness in detail translates to feeling of
being there when viewing the final print. Large format cameras also
give an experienced photographer more control over the rendering of
geometry and perspective of a given scene onto film.
The use of color
positive print materials require first creating a color
transparency in Vic's large format camera. In his darkroom he then
creates a print from the transparency using a positive to positive
process (Ilfochrome). These materials
were chosen for their incomparable clarity, vividness, and color
palette.
He has a background in computers beginning in the late
sixties, which gives him a very broad perspective on the potential and
the pitfalls of the digital evolution in photography. Digital prints
offer the opportunity for Vic to offer inexpensive quality prints
alongside the handmade darkroom prints which are typically sold in
galleries.
Teaching History:
UC Santa Cruz Extension: 1992 - 2007
Mono Basin Photographics: 1992 - 2004
Galleries:
Silver Light Gallery, Carmel, CA
Christopher Bell Gallery, Monterey, CA
Shows:
Carmel Valley Artists Xmas Fair, Carmel Valley, CA: 1995
- 2007
Carmel Art & Wine Festival, Carmel, CA: 1993 - 1996
Publications:
Monterey Magazine
UCSC Extension Arts & Humanities Catalog
Copyright
Vic Mitchell Photography
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Mitchell Consulting,
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