Artist Statement & Process
Contact David: rhinochong@hotmail.com
For many years I was a classic black and white photographer, and I still do some of my work in that medium. But much of what I do today is a kind of mixed media, often incorporating a great deal of painting with the photography. The black and white photograph, however, with an emphasis on form and composition remains at the heart of my work. I use medium and large format cameras (usually a 4x5 view camera), shoot black and white film and print on fiber based paper in a darkroom. I do no digital work at all. When the print is dry it can be painted using oils and pencil. The end result is a one-of-a-kind hand painted silver gelatin print. Although hand tinting photographs has been around for a long time, I have avoided the soft, pastel look of the past for a more solid and painterly look with a more saturated palette. Whereas it is possible for me to make more than one print from a negative, each is custom printed and hand painted so no two are exactly alike.
Much of my work has a narrative quality. Many of the images presented here were produced over a period of several years and they are an attempt to present that narrative. Much is left to the imagination. I offer images that are open to interpretation, that invite the observer to engage in crafting meaning.
Artist Bio
David was born in Arkansas but spent most of his formative years in Alaska, where he developed an early interest in photography. It was not until he attended college in Arizona, however, that he began to develop the skills to use photography as an art form. After graduating with a degree in anthropology, he spent several years photographing in the western United States, Alaska, Mexico, and Central and South America. In 2007, he went to Thailand to photographically record an ethnographic project with Karen refugees in camps along the Burmese border. He has exhibited work in galleries and museums in the U.S. and Mexico and has also conducted numerous workshops on the technique of hand painting black and white photographs.
Public and Private Collections
South Arkansas Arts Center, Permanent Collection, El Dorado, AR
Arkansas Arts Council, Permanent Collection, Little Rock, Arkansas
Alexandria Museum of Art, Alexandria, Louisiana
Monfee Medical Clinic, Russellville, Arkansas
Dr. Thomas C. Stinnett , Private Collection
David and Terry Murray, Private Collection
Tommy Brasher, Private Collection
Abbreviated List of Exhibitions
2022 Small Works on Paper Exhibition, Arkansas Arts Council
2021 Small Works on Paper Exhibition, Arkansas Arts Council
2019 South Arkansas National Juried Competition, El Dorado, AR
2018 Bradbury Museum, Arkansas State University, Delta National Small Print Exhibition
2018 South Arkansas National Juried Competition, El Dorado, AR
2017 Artists of Northwest Arkansas 23rd Annual Regional Exhibition, Fayetteville, AR Fourth Place Overall.
2017 South Arkansas National Juried Competition, El Dorado, Ar. Purchase Award.
2017 Small Works on Paper Exhibition, Arkansas Arts Council
2016 “Aftermath”, exhibition at Gallery 26, Little Rock, AR
2016 “30 Stories”, solo exhibition, Laman Library, North Little Rock, AR
2016 Artists of Northwest Arkansas 22nd Annual Regional Exhibition , Fayetteville, AR . First in mixed media.
2016 Small Works on Paper Exhibition, Purchase Award. Arkansas Arts Council
09/2014 “Frame of Reference”, solo exhibition, University of the Ozarks. Clarksville, AR
10/2013 “To France and Back”, solo exhibition, Blue Moon Gallery. Hot Springs, AR
12/2011 Solo Retrospective Exhibition, Beaufort, SC
07/2007 “The Liminal Narrative”, solo exhibition. Alexandria Museum of Art, Alexandria, LA
09/2007 “Burma in Exile”, exhibition, Alexandria Museum of Art. Alexandria, LA
06/2007 14th Annual Juried Competition, First Place in mixed media, Natchitoches Art Guild. Natchitoches, LA
01/2007 49th Annual Delta Exhibition, Arkansas Arts Center. Little Rock, AR
09/2006 September Competition, 2nd Place, Alexandria Museum of Art. Alexandria, LA
01/2002 Small Works on Paper Competition, Arkansas Arts Council. Little Rock, AR
06/2001 44th Annual Delta Exhibition, Arkansas Arts Center. Little Rock, A