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J.o.h.n...W.i.m.b.e.r.l.e.y
 Descending Angel |
| John Wimberley's photographs are populated by an abundance of pictorial elements: clouds, rocks, ravens, stones, mists, trees, grains of sand, feet; and it's extraordinary how he repeatedly gets these elements to work in his photographs. Sand grains line up perfectly to mirror ripples of light in the clouds above. A cloud in one corner of a photograph echoes the form of a tree branch in the corner opposite. Clouds in another photograph compliantly rise from the rooftop vent of a shepherd's wagon. And, where it would be rare for a raven to be seen sitting on a rock, there are two ravens in that photograph. When he comes upon a subject, he approaches it with respect, engages it, and asks permission to photograph. If no permission to photograph is felt, he moves on. Otherwise, where he feels that permission given, he proceeds by opening all his senses and becoming receptive to what is there. Reality takes on a dream-like state, and he allows photographic images to rise effortlessly into his awareness. In setting up and adjusting his equipment, he stays in touch with himself and the subject. Set up, he holds the visualized image of the subject in his entire being as he releases the shutter. Immediately after making the photograph, he thanks the subject. So, John Wimberley doesn't undershoot or overshoot, he simply enters into a deep relationship with the subjects he has been given permission to photograph, and gives the elements of these subjects the space to be whatever they are: clouds, rocks, ravens, sand, feet, etc. Moreover, he has no need to command elements into place, because they are perfect right where they are. That's where they want to be. As John has told me, sometimes he doesn't know who the photographer is, himself or the subject. -Georgette Freeman San Francisco, CA |
 Crater Lake, 1977 |
| John Wimberley was born in Paget, Bermuda, in 1945. As a child, John was fascinated with fairy tales and myths, which he feels had a major influence on his later work. He first became involved with photography while serving in the Navy during the 1960's. As an aviation electronics technician on aircraft carriers during the Vietnam War, John's first pictures were of flight operations. Upon his discharge in 1967, he avidly pursued color street and landscape photography. Unfortunately almost all this work, totaling more than 10,000 slides, was lost to water damage. The direction of John's photography took a radical shift in February 1969. A profound experience while photographing a group of trees in Canyon del Puerto, California caused him to switch to black and white. More importantly, his began to focus exclusively on what he perceived as spiritual aspects of the world. He began a long-term study of Jungian psychology, shamanism and spiritual disciplines. The need to earn a living as an electronics technician limited his time for photography to lunchtimes, evenings, weekends and vacations. The year 1973 brought his first one-man show. Reviewing it, Artweek Magazine noted: "His prints are not merely technically correct, but wonderfully alive." In 1983 John had the first of two, two-man exhibitions with Ansel Adams. |
 Dunes and Horizontal Ripples, 1979 |
| During the 1970 and 1980's, John's emphasis was on the landscape. He photographed repeatedly at locations that to him conveyed spiritual power, returning to certain locations for more than twenty-five years. Many exhibitions followed to rising acclaim. In 1981, he made a series of photographs of a woman underwater, which resulted in his acclaimed image, "Descending Angel". That year John published Presence, a limited edition portfolio of twelve prints. He also left electronics to devote his full time and energy to photography, and has lived from print sales ever since. Trips to New Zealand in 1985 and Ireland in 1986 added to his growing body of work. He became a sought-after workshop teacher and lecturer. In addition, since the early 1970's John has performed research into photographic developer chemistry, resulting in two pyrogallol film developer formulae that are marketed by The Photographer's Formulary of Condon, Montana. An article he published in 1977 initiated the current renaissance in the use of pyrogallol. He became a sought-after expert in black and white film development chemistry and techniques. |
 Realization of Anima |
 Crystal Springs #659, 2002 |
| During the second half of the 1990's John's photography concentrated on the ghost towns and abandoned mining camps of Nevada. Then in 2000, his deep interest in shamanism led him to begin photographing Native American rock art sites. Now, with nearly forty years in photography, John's critically acclaimed work has been honored with more than fifty exhibitions and has been published around the world. His work is represented in more than four hundred public and private collections, including many major museums. Print Information: All photographic prints are archivally processed gelatin silver prints made from original photographic negatives by John Wimberley. Prints are dry-mounted on 4-ply, acid- free mat board. They are window matted and signed in pencil on the front of the mat at the lower right corner of the print, and are ready to frame. No digital manipulation is used at any stage of the process. Prints are available in four standard paper sizes: 8x10", 11x14", 16x20" and 20x24". For both technical and aesthetic reasons, not all images are available in all sizes (please inquire). Actual print sizes will be slightly smaller than stated due to the proportions of the image and trimming of borders. Prints are made in three, tiered editions of 100 each. When an edition has sold out, the price of the next edition is increased by 30%. Print prices start at $800 and include free ground shipping within the USA. Please inquire if you have other favorite images by this artist, as we can offer his entire portfolio of work for sale. |
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