Artist Statement
As an artist, I use the act of taking photographs to connect to the complexity and beauty of the natural world. Since childhood, these places have been sources of serenity, stability and energy. As an adult I continue to seek refuge in nature and experience the seductive moments of, as Robert Adams wrote, “astonishment” when the ocean waves create flowing lines in the sand or the hard horizon transforms into shimmering stripes of color. I also explore the playful interactions between people and these environments.
I use seemingly contradictory styles with formal compositions as well as intentional camera movement to experiment with my visceral response to the moods created by the shifting light and wind. Influences include the Dutch Masters, Van Gogh, Agnes Martin as well as the color photographs of Joel Meyerowitz and Sylvia Kowalczyk. My latest projects involve constructing conceptual collages from my recent images of the Pacific coastline. These depict my fears about their imminent destruction from climate change and over development by using childhood memories of epic movies, cartoons and the paintings of Marc Chagall.
Previous projects include destinations that my wanderlust has inspired me to explore including California road trips on Highway 395, magical bodies of water around the world as well as the enchanting people I encounter along the way.
Biography
Bonnie Blake is a fine art photographer based in Los Angeles with roots in Louisville, Kentucky and New York City.
She uses a documentary approach and intentional camera movement to create landscapes as well as conceptual collages to reveal the beauty of the natural world. Her belief that beauty can be an agent of change inspires her to express her concern about the destruction of these lands from climate change.
Blake holds a B.A. in literature from Vanderbilt University and and M.F.A. in Theatre from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She has worked as a camera operator in the entertainment industry on documentaries, features, episodic television and educational programs such as the TED talks. She has taught at the The University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts. She studied still photography with Fran Antmann in New York City and with Aline Smithson, Cig Harvey, Just Loomis and Susan Burnstine at the Los Angeles Center of Photography.
Her work has been exhibited in venues including Auburn Gallery, 1650 Gallery in Los Angeles, Photo Place Gallery in Middlebury, Vermont and Duncan Miller Online Gallery. She won honorable mention for two images in the 2020 Creative Portrait Exhibit at the Los Angeles Center of Photography. Her work has also been featured in several Lenscratch exhibits including an article in 2021 highlighting her project “Breakfast with the Los Angeles Times,” a document of daily life during the pandemic.