“Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.”
Thomas Merton

Art is a matter of opinion.   It belongs firstly to the viewer.  If you believe it’s art, you own that belief.  I personally have always viewed art as being more about reflection than perfection.  You will have your own vision of art.  I am rarely excited over photographic art that was created specifically to be called art.  Maybe that is because I simply do not know how you do that.  In other words I don’t have that particular skill.  I create images and the public has always decided what (if any) is art.  When it comes to my own pictures, those images that others believe are art, are virtually always different than what I might accept as art.  If art is a personal decision it becomes very personal when you are the creator.

“There are no rules for good photographs, there are only good photographs.”
Ansel Adams

Art can be controversial but it does not have to be.  That is my opinion!  Much like art that is created for art’s sake, controversial art created for the sake of controversy usually falls flat to me.  Some of my writings over the past ten years have stirred controversy.  I feel neither pride nor shame for that. My goal was only to write my opinion.  From the heart.  It was up to the reader to take from those writings what they may.  If I would have written them with the express purpose of controversy I do not believe they would have worked.  Just like art for art’s sake.  Art whether it be the written word, a painting or a photograph, comes naturally from the artist and can just as likely be an accident.

I have never cared whether you call me a photographer or an artist.  My general rule has always been, you can call me whatever you want, just call me. 

Wayne

 I recieved e-mails back-channel from two friends to whom I sent a link to this blog, with the  question….how do you get anyone to go to your blog since you closed your website?  Firstly there are very few people that visit this blog, although it is growing and I appreciate that.  I drive a few people here from social media (Facebook, Twitter) but until I closed my website I had little to do with those places and only a handful ever get to see my posts.  I link some posts to Flickr photos and this blog is also linked in some blog directories.  Then I am involved in a few nature photography photo/e-mail groups and will occasionally put a link up to them.  They jointly have over 3,000 members.

Thank you for your questions and I do want to remind you that this blog does have an expiration date so to speak.   Please enjoy while it lasts.  I will have some more to say in the near future.