David Gardner

Artist Statement

I live part-time in San Francisco and part-time in a 26 ft. Lazy Daze motorhome, christened Carpe Diem, pursuing my photographic interests across the continent. I am largely self-taught, but consider my longtime friendship with fine art photographer Stephen Johnson, and the likes of Richard Misrach and Edward Burtynsky to be the basis of my photographic inspiration and proficiency. I studied graphic arts and multimedia design at San Francisco State University, and attend classes and lectures at the San Francisco Art Institute as time permits. My photographs have been exhibited across the country and internationally.

Over the past 30 years, I have attempted to hone my vision to better reflect the essence of the landscape as I see it. During much of that time, my approach became quite contemplative, and resulting images more intimate and simple in design. My belief is that the true genius of nature lies in the subtlest of moments.

Recently I have shifted my emphasis, as the difficulty of isolating landscapes free of human intervention has increased. I not only include evidence of human impact, but also people, in the context of the landscape, now appear. I am looking more at how we use land and what we communicate through that use. In order to preserve what we have, I believe it is important to reveal what we are losing.