When my wife and I traveled to Italy, we visited Pompeii, which is an ancient city near Naples. The site was very well preserved with frescos still visible on the walls, and plenty of structures and buildings still standing. The background photograph was taken here in Pompeii, which was not very far from where my relatives lived.
I felt the need to create an image that had some personal meaning to me, and one that connected the past with the present.
Several times a year, I exhibit my work at various galleries and at my home gallery. The first time I presented this piece at one of my shows, it sold! I was ecstatic. Several other images have also sold, and I now limit the original editions to only 25.
The antique photographs were scanned into my computer, and I now use Photoshop for many of my darkroom techniques. Though I will never forget the days of developer and fixer, I have fond memories of watching images appear magically in front of my eyes.
This was my first experience scanning vintage photos to be used in conjunction with pictures of today. I have since scanned many old photographs and have created a whole body of work with them. I have many in different stages of completion and really enjoy creating them.
The experience I had creating “Walls Of The Past” has led me to develop many other ghostly images, and some are a little spooky.