Dowding, John and I met a few days at Spiaggia Restaurant, where I had a conversation with the owner, Mary Lee. Center of the restaurant, I have connected with John, was quietly enjoying a plate of mussels. I sat down with John for about twenty minutes, and told us clearly to me, we had much in common: a passion for the visual arts, photography and travel. John invited me to call to arrange a visit to his studio on a different day, so that he would be able to show me his work.
JohnDowding has more than 50 years of experience in the art of teaching. After studying art and history at McMaster University in Hamilton, John has taught at various universities in southern Ontario and was head of the department of art at Lorne Park Secondary School in Toronto 1969-1986, high school, the famous Canadian Olympian Silken Laumann and John Wood graduated. From 1993 to 1995, he received a degree in Photographic Arts at Ryerson University, the first yearRyerson had received his official appointment to a university.
John Dowding, photography is a passion for many years. Over the past five years has begun to discover Cuba, and spent several weeks every winter in this fascinating country. Leave in a few days (February 2), John will return to Cuba: To run the "Cuba Now and Then" Photography Workshop and tours. The ten-day tour will take participants to Havana, where he has three days for the photos of Willvarious historical parts of the city, including the colon Cementario, where students practiced photography in infrared rays.
From there, the group is today the French colonial town of Cienfuegos, then historical Trinidad de Cuba, where they spend two-and-a-day and a half. Before returning to Havana, the group will continue for two days in Santiago de Cuba, the island's second city and former capital of the country. Give the possibility of architecture,The landscapes and special events such as flamenco and dance performances.
John is focused primarily on the photography of architecture, and also uses special devices like infrared film and pinhole cameras to achieve a particular effect, that he teaches his workshop participants. One of his favorite photos of Havana, was developed by a group of schoolchildren who were interested in swimming in the sea directly to the Malecon in Havana. When you out of water, were still watching the other, an image that reminds them,John of a frieze in a greek theater.
In recent years, John Dowding has formed a strong connection to Cuba, and said he wanted "before the Americans there were" too much. Upon his arrival in Havana for the first time I could not believe his eyes, the charm and the attraction was immediate. John and I discussed Havana, a city that we know both well. In order to explore the city, John has a team of local transport riders who actually consult a doctor and a nurse. I spent some time in Havaname a few years ago to learn Spanish at the University of Havana. Like John, I learned very quickly that the tourism industry much more profitable for the locals, as the exercise of their profession. I work as a waiter, tour guide and taxi driver can make the Cubans in a day several times their normal monthly salary of about $ 8 to $ 25 (per month!).
So this team of medical experts to drive a horse-drawn transport for tourists became his guide, and led him into one ofthe most fascinating cities in the New World. The fascination has never left, and John was in Havana, has been described as "a city in a time warp" several times in recent years. He is running another photographic tour in Cuba, 6-15 April. With the same company (Cuba Si Tours), John, another group of photography enthusiasts in Tuscany at the end of this year, an area in which John is referred to as one of the cradles of Western civilization, at least for the story artconcerned.
I left inspired after a conversation John has left his shell and decided that for a few days later in his private study to get him before he left for Cuba So today, after my interview with Steve and Paul, the owner of the room B & B Soul, I went on the presence of John Dowding in a quiet side street on the beach of history.
Study of John is currently undergoing reconstruction, so that some of his paintings have been put away. But IView more samples of his unique works of art, including some examples of his "Precambrian" series of photos. John said that at a certain moment in a friend's house, Georgian Bay, and when you eat the fish, which has open lines beautifully colored rocks that make up the Canadian Shield. Even as the Pre-Cambrian Shield, this ancient geological formation, the Earth is the largest area of exposed 'rock' shield '. The rock formations are from the Precambrian, including3.5 to 4 billion years ago, long before the living beings appeared on this planet. Containing the old stones, beautifully colored, striped and twisted formations.
Another set of images refers to studies of St. John of Cuba In addition to the standard of digital and traditional photography, John uses infrared film, particularly in environments that already have an atmosphere somewhat 'surreal, to cemeteries, for example. In addition, John uses a single piece of photographyEquipment: a pinhole camera. He showed me two examples of this type of equipment - cameras pinhole consist essentially of a simple wooden box with no target. The closure is essentially a hole in the box suspended manually by opening and closing a lid over the hole. Inside the box is a roll of 120 film. John said it was one of his pinhole cameras in Hong Kong in mahogany and brass. He brought with him his first trip to Havana in 2002, and has itsFavored by the device.
John explains that to calculate the exposure is manually by means of certain formulas. Double exposure are easy to create, resulting in a surreal and often bizarre special effect. Early versions of pinhole cameras have been by Aristotle in 300 BC stock pinhole camera of some features with the 'camera lucida, an optical device that allegedly was used by artists such as Vermeer and Frans Hals, described to represent accurately reflect the reality.According to John, the painters were able to fleeting expressions such as joy and laughter, a visual feat that was possible only through the capture using the camera lucida.
The camera lucida optical overlay the object, viewed on the surface of the drawing sheet, including the examination of the artists follow the contours of objects are painted. As a result of these artists has never used the sketches for the paintings are painted directly on a beautiful canvas - "a la", with the help of grantsthe camera lucida, the image would project on their canvas.
John showed me a book called "Secret Knowledge - Rediscovering the Lost techniques of the Old Masters," where the author shows, David Hockney, some optical devices have already been used from 1425 classical painting, to compose images. The pinhole camera lucida and camera obscura "camera" prop, an optical device is used in the design, and one of the precursors ofCamera. Some camera obscura have been built as a tourist attraction, often cast in the form of a large central chamber space in a tall building, so a 360 degree view from the outside world will be on a horizontal surface through a rotating lens. One of the few camera obscura is in Havana, Cuba
John added that he regularly teaches a course on "impressions" at the Haliburton School of the Arts. He explained that a weekCourse is usually held in July, among other things, he takes his students to a local river, where canoes are equipped with a playhole ", a section with a deep hole dug in the stream-based, so that practice difficult maneuvers river. Photography students learn to sit on rocks on the river, very close to the canoe and take interesting shots of water and exercise. There is no need for a telephoto lens.
Because I had head, mysubsequent interview with another creative person, Lucille Crighton, one of Canada 's mainly textile-artist, I thanked John for his time and the information shared with me. I would estimate that exposure to photographic techniques and optical devices, and I would say John Dowding, experts and a patient teacher, really enjoying his knowledge.
I wish that I secretly join John on his photographic journey through Cuba (Tuscany or for that matter) might. Maybe somedaythe future ...
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