In the Night: Waiting - 2001

Astronomers wait for the night sky to clear over Fort McKavett State Historical Park in Texas.  With shutter open, the color print film squeezes faint light from darkness into saturation.  The lights of San Angelo glow green on faraway clouds.  Darker clouds encroach on the turning stars, framed by trees and ruined wall.  Flashlights and computer screens glow red as the astronomers wait for clearing sky that does not come.  Hernan Contreras and Buddy Garza called us to this night.  Jeff Rowe revealed the play of film, night sky, and time.  We wait together.

Exhibited:

• 2003 The Show, Museum of New Mexico, Museum of Fine Arts, Santa Fe, NM
• 2002 Annual Juried Photography Show, The Arts Alliance Center at Clear Lake, Houston TX - Honorable Mention

In the Night: Spirit -2001

An astronomer packs up the telescope near the end of a long night, near the ruined wall.  Or was it the ghost of Fort McKavett?

Exhibited:

• 2002 Annual Juried Photography Show, The Arts Alliance Center at Clear Lake, Houston TX - Honorable Mention

In the Night: Tree - 2001

The old dead tree, painted with astronomer's red flashlight.  I have photographed this tree many times with a new result each time.

Exhibited:

• 2002 Annual Juried Photography Show, The Arts Alliance Center at Clear Lake, Houston TX - Honorable Mention

In the Night: Coming Home - 2000

A pickup rolls homeward down a remote Texas road late in the night.  Headlights flash across an old limestone building.  The driver could not know that astronomers moved in the darkness, red flashlights marking their path, red lights glowing in windows as coffee pours.  Apart, a photographer lurks, the film collects light of southern stars grounded by the silhouette of a roofline with chimneys.  The truck and road gifted light, coming home.  Is our lost friend Dave Brown in the frame?  It is hard to know for sure, but he was at home in the night.

Exhibited:

• 2003 The Show, Museum of New Mexico, Museum of Fine Arts, Santa Fe, NM
• 2001 Annual Juried Photography Show, The Arts Alliance Center at Clear Lake, Houston TX

Retablo: Pursuit of M101 - 2001

Observing friend Len Casady with the McKavett Tree, galaxy M101 recedes and is captured in red, with the International Space Station approaching the star Vega. Digital collage of three film photographs and digital astrophotograph made in various locations.  Gold leaf on tin background

Exhibited

• 2002 Digital Arts Competition, The Arts Alliance Center at Clear Lake
• 2002 Texas Star Party Art Show, Ft. Davis TX, Best Mixed Media Award

Retablo: Kelley and the Alien - 2000

Observing friend Kelley Knight with one of my telescopes crowned by two nebulae, two star clusters and a galaxy. Digital collage of two film photographs and five digital astrophotographs made at the 2000 Texas Star Party.

Exhibited

• 2001 Digital Arts Competition, The Arts Alliance Center at Clear Lake
• 2000 Dio de los Muertos Retablo Show, Lawndale Art Center (sold at auction)

Nights of Mars - 2001

Digital composite of film images at Texas Star Party 2001.  Mars is bright object at upper left.  I am staring down at a computer screen at the lower right.

Exhibited 2001 Digital Arts Competition, The Arts Alliance Center at Clear Lake

Can You Hear Me, Major Tom? - 2000

The remarkable telescope maker and observer, Tom Krajci enjoys the sky lying next to his remarkable telescope at Texas Star Party 2000.   This was among my first attempts at long exposure film photography, using red flashlight to paint selected details while the earth's rotation stretches the stars.  Remarkable photographer Jeff Rowe of Austin, TX inspired me with his remarkable images.  I am the hand and vague face at the right.

Exhibited:
2000  Annual Juried Photography Show, The Arts Alliance Center at Clear Lake, Houston TX

ALRAD - 2000

Underexposed and heavily processed portrait of astronomical friend Al Kelly and his telescope.  My hand at left and face at right.  Al's strong profile looms over the telescope like he is riding a spaceship, with the stars above.  I really like this image but I have not found anybody else who does.

Beloved Wife Ann - 2003

A nice picture of Ann with the print modified using technique learned in Karen Michel's Photo Ressurrection workshop at Artfest 2003, Fort Worden State Park, Port Townsend Washington.

Pinhole Self Portrait - 2003

First pinhole camera image done in a workshop led by photographer Thomas Wynn at Artfest 2003, Fort Worden State Park, Port Townsend Washington.  The photographer creeps up to the shutter and everything goes dark...  Great combination of depth of field, distortion and artifacts.

History

First Art Photograph: Woodpile - 1967

A composition of ax, bottles and oak tree trunk, in the woodpile of the home place in Mississippi.  The negative and print were underexposed, but a little 21st century digital darkroom pulls out a pretty good photo.

The artist taking an early photograph - 1966

At about age 12, I got my first camera and started taking pictures.  I am not sure who took this picture, maybe my mom or sister.  It is in early 1966 in the ancestral lands of southern Mississippi.  It was taken with my camera at the time, a 126 I think.  I am not sure what camera I am holding.  The negative and print were very underexposed but a little Photoshop magic pulled out some contrast and detail.

Not far from this gate are the remains of the house of my father's father's parents, Kitty Hanberry Webb and Rebertus Levi ("Tump") Webb.  I have heard that Kitty was a photographer in the early 1900's - maybe it is in the blood.

Page by Dennis Webb, August 17, 2003
All Images Copyright 1967-2003, all rights reserved
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