Doug Spalding

About the Artist

I have taken photographs since I was a young boy. There has always been something about being able to capture the moment in time that appealed to me. Computers and modern ink jet printers using archival inks have made it possible for the artist to control the printing and adjustment of the photographs. Many of my photos were originally on film and have now been scanned into digital format. Others have been taken with digital cameras.

My photographs are matted so as to complement the work, and then framed with hardwood frames to add to the photo, not overwhelm or take away from it. Frames are individually constructed for each photograph. I use no commercial frame stock, so each one is a little different from any other. Heavily figured woods, such as bird''s eye maple, curly red birch, wavy cherry and walnut from both the east coast forests and the plains of the Midwest, make up just part of the available materials. There are no metal cleats in my frames, rather I choose to use a corner spline of contrasting-colored wood to reinforce my frames.

The shadow hours around the rising and setting sun and moon have a special feeling about them. Fog also somehow seems to enhance many visuals. While a clear blue sky makes us feel alive, often a cloud or two adds something to a photograph. By the time the sun is high, I usually put the cameras away. I like the quiet times when the light is more ethereal. That preference is clearly exhibited in the photographs you''ll see in my studio and on these walls.

Many of the scenes in my photographs are of ordinary places we all pass on a regular basis. One of the purposes of my work is to cause people to slow down just a bit and to see what there is all around them.