Doug Winter: Meditations on Visual Memories

Welcome to The Baram House, Mr. Winter! Please tell us a little bit about yourself.

Thank you for the opportunity to share my work with you. I’m an established editorial and fine art photographer and filmmaker whose work is collected and exhibited internationally. I work in both abstract and representational photography, with a focus on social awareness. I'm inspired by light and reflective colors in nature, creating textured atmospheres and meditative studies to instill a sense of quiet and balance in the viewer.

We’re curious about your artistic journey. When did you start taking photos and how did you get your start as a professional photographer?

I grew up around photography. My father enjoyed making photographs and I started taking pictures when I was fifteen years old, when I received a little 35mm Pentax film camera for my birthday. I used my camera to take photos of scenes or objects I wanted to paint and draw.

This led to finding a love for the photographic image. At 18, I enrolled in the photography program at the Colorado Institute of Art. My father gave me his cherished medium format Bronica camera to use during my photography studies. I still use that camera today to create images. I went on to graduate with honors receiving my degree in photography from the Colorado Institute of Art.

I began my professional career in Washington D.C., frequently photographing significant events at the White House and on Capitol Hill. Opportunities to photograph two U.S. presidents, the Dali Lama, heads of state, diplomats, and celebrities, helped me see the world as a collaboration, however dysfunctional, as one large family.

Could you give us an overview of the technique utilized to create the “Father to Son” series?

My goal for “Father to Son” was to create images that honestly respect my father’s visual memories. I used a Russian M42 analog lens I customized for my digital camera, sometimes shooting through glass or mirrors that distort the field view. This closely mimics what I think my father saw and what he described to me as his vision was failing. I then edit the images in Photoshop to create the final piece of art.

Do you ever draw your inspiration from paintings? Some of the pieces in your “Father to Son” series are reminiscent of large-scale works by Mark Rothko and Jackson Pollock.

I spent many hours discussing with my father his failing sight. He would describe in detail how he was able to perceive visually well-known objects like his cereal bowl or the television. Our discussions informed my imagination. I think it’s important for photographers to inform themselves and seek inspiration from other genres like painting and sculpture. I draw a great deal of inspiration from paintings, and my abstract photographs are quite large in scale, five to six feet in height or length.

I’m inspired most by female artists and have immense respect for female abstract expressionists. Some of my favorite artists are Mary Abbott, Jay DeFeo, Perle Fine, Helen Frankenthaler, Sonia Gechtoff, Judith Godwin, Grace Hartigan, Elaine de Kooning, Lee Krasner, Joan Mitchell, Deborah Remington, Ethel Schwabacher, Barbra Kruger, Laurie Anderson, Shawn Kerri.

It may sound old fashioned or out of touch, but I think women create better, more engaging and thoughtful artwork than men. That being said I do love Keith Haring’s work very much and Mark Rothko.

Competition is immense in the artistic world. How have you weathered through the storm and differentiated yourself?

I agree competition is one way to look at the art world, but when I see friends and artists that I admire have success, I'm so happy for them. 

I weather the storm by being honest and sincere to my work and myself. I don't need a lot in this world, I just need enough, and I have so much more than that currently.

I differentiate myself from others by trusting that where the work comes from is unique and touches on the collective and unrecognized experiences, we all share in our mutual hearts and minds. We all breathe the same air and most of us shoulder the same hopes and dreams for our neighbors, family and friends. When, as an artist, your work connects deeply with you, that connection will carry the banner onward through competition and onto victory.

Where do you hope to take your art from here?

My hope is that my art takes me around the world, and I can share it with many people. I tell friends and family that the best aspect of being an artist and a photographer are the amazing experiences and people I get to meet.

My hope for this work “Father to Son” is that it will alleviate, if only for a moment, anxiety, and distract from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and instill a quiet restfulness. This work is a gateway into a place other than here, other than where we are right now. I hope the work goes into a person’s permanent meditative memory.

Two pieces from Father to Son will be hung in a hospice for the homeless, Joshua House. It will open it doors in the fall of 2020 in Sacramento, California. It is the first such facility on the West Coast and the eighth in the country. It will house 20 residents at a time and provide art and music therapy, writing as healing therapy, shelter, meals, clothing and compassionate care while local health partners provide hospice care. People don’t realize that when you are homeless and get a terminal diagnosis from a doctor there are no facilities for care or housing. As a result, terminally ill homeless often die in their tents, in the fields by the river or in their cars or on the street.