Community Highlight: Bonnie Fukazawa

Name: Bonnie Fukazawa

Location: Portland, Oregon

Website: bonniefukazawaart.myportfolio.com

Social Media: Instagram @bonniefukazawa

Artist Statement: Bonnie Fukazawa is a working artist based in Portland, Oregon. Her mediums include mixed media, collage, acrylic, graphite, and digital art. Her work blends the digital and abstract layering her subconscious experiences into ethereal textures and pastel-toned images.

She is inspired by elegance, simplicity, and beauty. She finds inspiration from her dreams and draws from her hyper-sensitivity and intuitive nature to create work that transcends and reflects her subjective experiences.

Who/what is your biggest artistic influence?

Jan van Eyck

Where was the last place you went on vacation?

Tokyo, Japan

What’s the longest you’ve gone without sleep?

3 days

If you could go back in time to change one thing what would it be?

I would take Japanese instead of Latin in High School

When you have 30 minutes of free-time, how do you pass the time?

Taking baths or going on walks

If you were a superhero what powers would you have? and what would your hero name be?

Multiply myself to work on multiple projects at the same time

Do you have a lucky number? What is that number?

808

What’s your favorite color?

Orange

Favorite Quote?

“Sometimes you have to lose your mind before you can come to your senses.” – Peaceful Warrior

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Community Highlight: Mick Hangland-Skill

Mick is one of the graduates selected to exhibit in the Blackfish Gallery 24th Annual Recent Graduates Show throughout the month of July. A selection of his series "Urban Solitude" will be hanging in the show. If you want insight into his thoughts check out the Artist Talk July 30th at 2pm. Otherwise enjoy the opening reception July 3rd from 6-9pm.

Name: Mick Hangland-Skill

Location: Portland, OR

Website: mickhs.com

Social Media: Instagram mick.jpg

Artist Statement:

My photographs show an intimacy with my subject, but I know I am an outsider. I am a participant in a moment, but not in their lives. While the camera mediates an interaction between us, we each maintain our personal spaces. I enter their space for just a moment; enough for a brief acknowledgement but not so long to break their solitude. These have been points of personal contention; dilemmas between knowing someone and knowing their image.

Who/what is your biggest artistic influence?

I come from a modern street photography practice in the likes of Robert Frank, Gary Winogrand and Diane Arbus. Recently, I’ve been looking to contemporary practitioners such as Alec Soth, Sally Mann and Rosalind Fox Solomon. I appreciate their work and have been looking at ways to incorporate narrative, poetry and sequence as they do.

Favorite piece of photographic equipment?

My trusty and beloved Rolleiflex 3.5A is always at my hip.

What is your preferred subject matter?

People are always at the center of my work. When I’m feeling flat in my work it’s usually because I have drifted away from people. This has been a recent goal of mine: to be closer.

Where was the last place you went on vacation?

My family and I visited Venice Beach, CA no too long ago where my most recent work was made. My parents lived in Venice in the 80’s and is a favorite place to return every so often. I use this as an excuse to distinguish myself from the other tourists and hipsters that crowd the boardwalk. You know, the one’s I photograph, right?

When you have 30 minutes of free-time, how do you pass the time?

Free time is a relatively new concept to this recent college grad. Because of that, I have been intentional in how I spend my downtime. I still feel guilty taking time for myself as I’m used to every moment dedicated to my academic success. Still, I can relax, fall into a book, article or poem and accompany myself with music.

#communityhighlights #1309imaging #fineartprinting #mickhanglandskill

Community Highlight: Scott Withers

Who: Scott Withers

Location: Aurora, Oregon

Flickr Page: https://www.flickr.com/photos/withersphotography/

Artist Statement: Primarily a mountaineer and a rock climber, I love to hike and explore all corners here in the Northwest. I've been doing photography since 1992 and more seriously over the past 10 years. I enjoy doing landscapes when I'm out climbing or hiking, but I prefer urban shots and abstracts involving more of my creative side. Sadly however people know me for landscapes, so these are often overlooked.

What motivates your photography? It’s the passion for being outdoors. Whether solo or with friends, the mountains seem to call me to them. I try to capture the feeling in that moment. Sometimes it's the light reflecting from a glacier, or the textures of a canyon wall that inspires me to keep coming back. Weather is also a big motivator. When most people shy away from bad or extreme weather, I find opportunity. These elements tend to bring in some of the best shots, mainly snowstorms and dense fog.

Who/what is your biggest artistic influence? My two biggest artistic influences are Carleton Watkins and Benjamin Gifford. Both are considered pioneers in NW photography. Watkins was here from California in the 1870's and 1880's. He focused on the Columbia River and its transportation with the Oregon Rail and Navigation Company. Benjamin Gifford was a little more free to explore the areas around him. Located in the Dalles at the turn of the last century, he tended to shoot everything from the summit of Mt. Hood and surrounding locations in the Columbia River Basin. His photos capture a moment in time that few other photographers of his time could do. I've been collecting his original photographs for about 15 years now. Seeing them in their original printed form makes you really appreciate his craftsmanship to the art.

Where was the last place you went on vacation? My most recent travels took me to India where I spent a month and a half exploring. I started in Hyderabad and worked my way north. I spent most of my time in Kashmir in the Karakoram and Himalayan Mountains, while straddling the Pakistan, China, and Tibetan boarders. It was the journey of a lifetime. Out of all the places in the world I have travelled to, I would considering it the one of the most breathtaking places in the world. Most people don't think of India as having high peaks. However there are many over 20,000 feet, and has the 3rd highest in the world named Kanchenjunga at 28,169 feet.

Favorite quote?

“My life is shaped by the urgent need to wander and observe, and my camera is my passport.”

— Steve McCurry

#communityhighlights #1309imaging #fineartprinting #scottwithersphotography