Gary Zuercher
San Clemente, CA - United States
Gary Zuercher - Fine Artist
Member Since: 05/03/2011
I will be exhibiting again at the Laguna Beach Festival of Arts from July 5th to August 31, 2013. My image 'Skull Rock' was a nominee in the 2012 B&W Spider Awards. A Joshua Tree image 'Dappled Light' was juried in to the 2012 'Best of Nature' group show at the Ordover Gallery in San Diego, CA. 'The Cholla Garden' has been juried in to the Paducah Photo 2011 show in Paducah, KY. My desert images 'Badwater Abstract,' 'Desert Fan' and 'Protected' were published in Creative Quarterly magazine #23 and #24 in 2011 and the image 'Tumbledown' was in Issue #22, Spring 2011. My Joshua Tree images were published in Black & White magazine, Special Portfolio Issue 2010.
I am originally from Central Illinois. In 1961, I traveled to the deserts of the Southwest and California for the first time where I was fascinated by the animal life and the colors and textures of the High Desert. I attended Bradley University from 1964-67 and studied Sculpture with Nita Sunderland and Design with Dow Mitchell. My artistic and photographic goals are the depiction of subjects in motion, revealing the fractal geometry in nature and capture of shapes, forms and textures in landscapes and seascapes.
Photographing the American West challenges both mind and body. Sometimes there is a long wait, but usually one minute in the morning and one minute in the evening is when the light is best.
The winter storms in the American West bring wild skies that contrast with giant boulders and barren spaces. This is the desert I photograph, focusing on smaller subjects in an attempt to describe the whole desert environment.
Fractal geometry is evident in the landscapes of the American West. There is a surreality that transcends the normal perception of our urbanized culture. If I convey even a portion of that surrealism, I consider my art a success.
In my photography I work to show the fractal geometry in nature by capturing repeating shapes, forms and textures in landscapes and seascapes. I believe that small details can illustrate and illuminate an entire environment.
