Kristen Westlake

I was born in a Naval Hospital in Rhode Island. My family moved to a Wisconsin farm when I was eight - perfect for me! A highly energized youngster, I delighted in adventure, running, roaming, and stopping to memorize landscapes and watch wild animals for hours. To capture my love of nature my Dad gave me a camera for my confirmation gift at age 12. He taught me the technical aspects of using the Minolta SLR and its interchangeable lenses. We sat out in the field together often, where I learned to 'see' photographically.

I am a 'manual' photographer. I intimately know the technical aspects of my tools (cameras, lenses, filters, etc). I enjoy envisioning an image and then the challenge of creating it. Sometimes the vision is spontaneous and the set up to create it happens quickly (as with lightning). Other times I plan far in advance (for example, the full moon over the Wisconsin Capitol) and then hope that the weather cooperates. The point is, I enjoy the thinking aspect of creating my work manually versus the utilization of all of the automated processes that are readily available these days.

The choice to create manually my interpretation of a scene involves both concrete and abstract thought processes. For me, over time the technical side of photography became the 'easy' stuff. I began to pair photography with the study of color theory. Rather than working primarily with luminosity contrast in post production, I utilize my knowledge of how color works to further the mood and feel of my work.

I have always aspired to show the world as I uniquely see it. However, through my deliberate practice of manually working my photography, I no longer simply transfer what I see to the world in pictures. I now see in my work what it is that I feel / felt. My intent is to transport the viewer into my work; to smell the rain, feel the wind, taste the dew, hear the thunder, and see with all of the senses.

Co-founder COPA (Coalition of Photographic Arts, Milwaukee, WI),

One on One and Group Photography workshops

G2 Gallery, Venice CA
Emerging II
November 10, 2009 – January 3, 2010 (group)

Woodstock Illinois art Exhibition at the Opera House (solo) 2009

Owen Gromme & Kristen Westlake Voices of Nature at the Museum of Wisconsin Art (duo with the late Owen Gromme's work) 2008

Uihlein Peters Gallery, Milwaukee, WI (duo) 2007

The Schingoethe Center, George Williams College
Williams Bay, WI (solo), 2005

multiple exposure, abstract photography, nature photography, fine art prints, limited edition prints, night photography