Underwater Hand
16” x 16” Digital Photograph printed on metal, matte finish
Blue Ripples 1
16” x 20” Digital Photograph printed on metal, matte finish
PSP Airport Fountain
20” x 16” Digital Photograph printed on metal, matte finish
Artist's Bio
My interest in photography began in the early 1980s while working on archaeological projects, using cameras and film to record excavation activities. I would occasionally slip in creative shots unrelated to work. This led to studies at the Art Insitute of Houston to acquire darkroom skills. My photography has been on view at hair salons, coffee shops, bars, gift shops, art galleries, and museums in group and solo exhibits. Some images have been published. In an effort to make art accessible to all, I am most honored that a wide variety of my photographs in the form of magnets adorn hundreds of refrigerators around the country.
With advanced vision loss due to retinitis pigmentosa, darkrooms and viewfinders are a thing of the past. Blindness is perhaps a photographer’s worst nightmare. Despite the frustration and restrictions, I uncover lost treasures in my archive of negatives and explore new projects.
My selections for EYE OF THE BEHOLDER are from a series I began in 2020, upon moving to the Coachella Valley of Southern California. DESERT WATER SHRINES explores what some may consider extravagance and excess of public fountains in a desert. Fortunately, a massive aquifer deep below the sand sustains the region, avoiding the effects of drought seen elsewhere.
Even with limited and distorted eyesight, it becomes apparent when in the presence of a public fountain. In the hot dry climate, I immediately feel the ambient temperature drop, wrapping me in a cocoon of coolness. The sound of trickling and splashing water drowns out the noise of traffic and calms the mind. My nose tingles with freshness. Moving my hand through the liquid refreshes and relaxes, Wetting my face rejuvenates and creates a smile.
Public water features provide a place to remind ourselves that this precious, life-sustaining elixir should be honored, admired, enjoyed, adored. Turning them off would be succumbing to a glass-half-empty scarcity mindset. These shrines serve as a place to celebrate and contemplate, with reverence and respect, the beauty and abundance of water.
Email: skot@skotjonz.com
Website: www.skotjonz.com
