October 2008 Archives

"My last visit to downtown Medina on assignment for some advertising photos gave me the opportunity to take the time to do additional photos intended as subjects for my art prints," Douglas said.  "Knowing that rural Medina is sprouting home developments with their cul-de-sacs and the big box stores only a few miles away I wanted to capture some of this rural small town town square before it was gone. "

"Working on nude art is not something that I have a great deal of time to devote to. One there are not a lot of models, or maybe better said not a lot of models I would work with, for nude art.  Posing in the nude does not make a good nude model," Douglas said.  "Photographing a beautiful young lady in the nude is one thing.  Doing it with class is another.  Lisa, not her real name, is one of those who had the ability to keep her innocent appearance with class even in the nude."

"My commercial photography assignment was to photograph the small town rural appeal of this community for a major national developer and home builder to compliment their ads for their new home development ," Douglas said.  "I took this photo not for my client but intentionally as the subject of an art print.  As someone who grew up in a small basically rural community 14 miles from downtown Cleveland, and that is now little more than a big city suburb, I have an appreciation for the buildings and the life style that is gone forever.  This little very plain church in little Montville Twp. Ohio, population just over 5400, reminds me of my own history.  Now, things 50 miles from downtown Cleveland and not far from downtown Akron, Ohio are destine to become a piece of history and maybe sooner than later. I think this church, especially in my stark black and white style, portrays the vanishing rural America and history."

"This is probably more of a political statement than simply my art.  A life long Clevelander I have watched this city go from new skyscrapers built by BP, a new fabulous building built by Jones Day and new spectacular shopping malls built by a world class real estate developers to vacant retail and office space, a city where the only downtown development is now done by the county government and paid for by a rapidly declining tax base, a city that has become the poorest in the nation and a city that is now virtually totally dependent on federal money.  I have watched the years of politicians demonizing people like Mr. Albert Ratner and Forest City Enterprises who invested heavily in Cleveland in the past, proposed many outstanding projects for downtown and Cleveland's lakefront to be defeated by our life long politicians and who now are building in New York City and California.  The most constant theme in Cleveland and Cuyahoga County now is a tax increase to pay for another government facility that promises to be the corner stone, yet another corner stone of the future.  Ohio is the 4th worst business tax climate in the nation, Cleveland and Cuyahoga County's answer to everything is raising taxes and without federal money they will go broke." Douglas said.  "Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day.  Teach a man to fish and he will eat for a life time.  As the poorest city in the nation Cleveland now has a majority of people and a city government waiting for the next free government fish and fewer and fewer fishermen.  Welcome to Cleveland,  'amature nite'."

"Having photographed many fine restaurants the unusual nature of a wood burning brick oven was the key advertising feature making this client's restaurant different, commercial photographer and artist Douglas said.  "As the subject of one of my contemporary art prints I found that in my favored stark black and white it also requires one to pause and focus on the subject to recognize what it is.  It's not 'pretty' and it's not obvious.  Two features I like in my art."

"My challenge was to come up with an ad photo for a woman's fashion resale shop in Rocky River, Ohio, the Apple Core.  The decision was to photograph a shopper, or what at first glance appeared to be a shopper but was a mannequin.  I liked the visual twist," Douglas said.  "I picked this photo as a subject for an art print just for that reason.  I think in the stark black and white with little detail the discovery of the mannequin adds to the image."

"My commercial photography assignments often take me to Medina and Medina County, Ohio.  About 40 minutes south of Cleveland I find the rural nature and small town appeal ripe for subjects for my art," Commercial photographer and artist Douglas said.  "This Lafayette Twp. fire station, proudly named No.1, clearly identifies this as a small rural community but also looking to the future.  I took the time to stop and photograph this intending it as a subject for my art specifically because in the not to distant future it will be historic.  Located just south of Cleveland and even closer to Akron, the big homes are popping up now and McDonalds and the big box stores are near and coming."

"This is my second print derived from my advertising photography assignment at the beautiful, exclusive, private Hawthorne Valley Country Club in suburban Cleveland.  My first print is simply titled 'hawthorne'." Douglas said.  "Neither of these prints look like a golf course.  Maybe that is because I'm not a golfer.  I loved the architecture in 'hawthorne' and the peacefulness of the stone bridge in this print are what caught my eye."

"I had the pleasure of doing advertising photos for the exclusive and private Hawthorne Valley Country Club.  I have photographed many golf courses but Hawthorn was by far the most beautiful.  I selected 2 photos to work from.  This one, 'hawthorne', for the architecture and a soon to be released print which will be titled simply 'golf course' was chosen because of the stone bridge and the peacefulness of the image," Douglas said.  "Neither look like a golf course which of course they are."