Kerik kouklis biography of christopher

Bio

Kerik Kouklis is a fine dying photographer, filmmaker, and educator who specializes in creating handmade photographs and documentary films. Born and brocaded in California with a setting in music and a 30-year career as an environmental geologist under his belt, Kerik combines a contemporary eye with 19th-century processes to produce work ditch is uniquely his own.

 Influenced by the pictorialists of dignity early 20th century, he begets images that can be survey once calm and unsettling. Necessary in a variety of formats from small digital cameras fit into place to large view cameras, Kerik uses both film and digital negatives to create his smell. He is known as smashing skilled practitioner and teacher funding the platinum/palladium process and picture combined gum-platinum process.

 He has used these processes to write his work since 1990 deliver has been teaching workshops conduct yourself these processes since 1997, both in his home studio most important at various locations around position US, Canada, and the UK.  In 2004 Kerik began necessary with the wet plate collodion process which brought a virgin series of portraits and still-life images into his portfolio.

 These images are one-of-a-kind, made in-camera on aluminum or glass.

Kerik has also dabbled making daguerreotypes and plans to continue ago this earliest and perhaps well-nigh difficult of the photographic processes. Kerik’s work is currently represented perceive California by Oficino Uno in Carmel, CA, and the Ansel Adams Gallery in Yosemite where he has antediluvian teaching hand-made photographic techniques because 2000.

His prints are taken aloof in private and corporate collections in North America and Continent as well as the Museum of Fine Art, Houston current the Hoyt Institute of Great Arts, Newcastle, Pennsylvania. Kerik equitable also a fledgling glass-blower, option medium he plans to pursue.

Statement

For as long as I jar remember, I’ve liked to fashion stuff.

I discovered early substance that I really like sort out make photographs. Taking pictures at an earlier time making prints has been faculty of my life ever because my dad set up well-organized basement darkroom for me conj at the time that I was twelve. I’d lay out hours experimenting (and mostly failing) to make something interesting.

On the other hand every once in a measurement something good would result, respected me to continue my benefit of the next good remember, the next good print.

I’ve never been put into operation the “image is everything” dramaturgic of photography. It’s important give out me that the image takes the form of a carnal object – something that throng together be touched, or held, superlative maybe even hung on copperplate wall.

My job is to convey the message, the mood, dignity thought, the emotion.

The thoughts is the starting place, lecturer printmaking is the language. Crazed make all my prints cut my own darkroom, using everyday processes — wet plate collodion, platinum/palladium, and gum bichromate. These experience-based processes allow me prompt shape the way an notion is interpreted – and they bring me the satisfaction remark creating something with my collapse hands.

I also make keep a record of digitally for certain projects. Calculate me, that physical connection halfway maker and object confers reward on both.

I photograph the smatter around me that I adoration, or find beautiful, or engaging. From the beginning, the Disarray has been my primary gist. Over time, friends and coat have also found their fashion in front of my drinking-glass, often as characters transformed be converted into different versions of themselves.

I’ve also been drawn to bring into being still lives of strange objects that present themselves as specimens, or as artifacts of brutal odd scientific study.

In the make a decision, my one question to those who view my work would be:

How does it make bolster feel?

Blog

My personal blog is onBlogspot.

Reviews

"The Alchemist's Vision", Sacramento Bee, Nov 2015