Art & Life with James Cowlin

Today we’d like to introduce you to James Cowlin.

James, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
When I joined the Peace Corps after college, I wanted a record my experience in Sierra Leone. I bought a 35mm rangefinder camera and a bunch of slide film. My year and a half in West Africa was the start of a journey into documentary image making. On my way home I had a stopover in the Carney Islands, one of the best free ports in the world at the time. I took advantage of that to buy my first professional camera, a Nikon F.

My next stop was Los Angeles. I signed up for the Famous Photographers correspondence school and learned the technical craft of photography. With an undergraduate major in theater, I gravitated to shooting theatrical and dance performances from which I learned the importance of timing and capturing the moment of peak action.

I started my professional career when I moved to Phoenix in the early 1970s. I continued photographing theatrical performances and gradually built a practice as a commercial photographer. I became friends with a number of artists who influenced my development as a landscape photographer. In particular, I spent several years traveling with Merrill Mahaffey documenting his exploration of Arizona in search of inspiration for his landscape paintings. From him, I learned to see the richness and beauty of landforms and textures of the Southwest. Photographing the landscape grew into a passion I have followed ever since.

I closed my commercial photography business ten years ago to pursue landscape, nature and travel photography full-time. My current project is documenting US Route 89 between Canada and Mexico. With its seven national parks and fourteen national monuments in the four geographic provinces of the interior west, I am never in want of subjects or my work.

Can you give our readers some background on your art?
I photograph, mostly the natural world. I am drawn to the forms and textures I find in the deserts, mountains, and canyons of the West. Here much of the land is exposed and not hidden under a cover of vegetation. I love rocks. They represent the most fundamental element of the planet and the passage of time. To stand on the rim of the Grand Canyon and photograph rocks that span over a billion years of geologic history inspires me to contemplation of my place in the universe. I strive to inspire a similar feeling in the viewer of my images.

Do you think conditions are generally improving for artists? What more can cities and communities do to improve conditions for artists?
Standing out as a photographer has become both more difficult and easier at the same time. Digital imaging changed everything about the business of making a living with a camera. One the one hand, it is easy to shoot competent photos and unload them to social sharing websites. On the other hand, it is very difficult to have unique artistic images stand out from the billions of photos uploaded every day.

I think government can encourage appreciation for the arts in a number of ways. It should begin early by making art in all forms an integral part of education. Doing creative activities helps people appreciate creativity in others. Cities can recognize the value of arts districts and the impact of a vibrant arts scene on economic development. Encouraging the development of low-cost housing and live/work spaces makes it possible for artists to live and work in the inner city.

What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
I have two websites where people can view my photographs. My portfolio site is jamescowlin.com. On that site are galleries of various landscape subjects. Prints are available for sale there.

The other website is usroute89.com where I display hundreds of photographs organized by sections of the road.

I am available by appointment at my home office in Oracle, Arizona, and at the Oracle Artist Studio Tour held every year in April.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.jamescowlin.com, usroute89.com
• Phone: 6029443286
• Email: jim@jamescowlin.com
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/usroute89/

Image Credit:
James Cowlin

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