DESTIG INTERVIEW WITH PETE NICHOLS, NUMBER 12 ON OUR LIST OF 25 RECOMMENDED ARTISTS FOR 2019.
Tell us about yourself and background.
I was born and raised in Colorado and have lived here all my life except for a 10 year span of time when I was in college and graduate school. I probably don't have the typical back round of an artist because I studied and trained to perform research in Biochemistry and found that I felt socially isolated doing this and switched careers to become a teacher in this area of study. I've never had any formal training in art but pursued studying and learning about photography on my own many years ago. I began traveling overseas when I was 19 and never stopped because of how much I loved taking photos while in a foreign location. I take my camera with me anytime I leave home because of that one trip I took while in college.
Tell us about your work.
I work hard to find something around me that will be interesting. I want people to think about what they are viewing and hope they think there is more to the photograph than "that is pretty". For me, the photographs I have taken tell a story. Maybe, in part, this is true for me because I both saw something I felt was interesting and decided on taking a photograph of what I was experiencing. I like color photographs primarily, because they represent what I am seeing, literally.
Tell us about yourself and background.
I was born and raised in Colorado and have lived here all my life except for a 10 year span of time when I was in college and graduate school. I probably don't have the typical back round of an artist because I studied and trained to perform research in Biochemistry and found that I felt socially isolated doing this and switched careers to become a teacher in this area of study. I've never had any formal training in art but pursued studying and learning about photography on my own many years ago. I began traveling overseas when I was 19 and never stopped because of how much I loved taking photos while in a foreign location. I take my camera with me anytime I leave home because of that one trip I took while in college.
Tell us about your work.
I work hard to find something around me that will be interesting. I want people to think about what they are viewing and hope they think there is more to the photograph than "that is pretty". For me, the photographs I have taken tell a story. Maybe, in part, this is true for me because I both saw something I felt was interesting and decided on taking a photograph of what I was experiencing. I like color photographs primarily, because they represent what I am seeing, literally.
"I know I see things differently than most people and I'm very patient in finding and setting up a photograph."
What makes your work and approach unique?
I know I see things differently than most people and I'm very patient in finding and setting up a photograph. I've had people I've traveled with say "I never saw that" when they viewed my photographs. I believe my desire to find something interesting when I take a photograph is unique. I also find that people and animals provide the most interesting photos so I love this genre of photography.
Why is your work a good investment?
This is an interesting question because I feel art brings out so many subjective feelings. I personally would never put something on my walls that I didn't love and want to look at every day. I would desire that anyone who bought my art loved my work and wants to see it every day and maybe find something interesting in the work that they can contemplate. Having something in your home, that you love to look at and that makes you wonder about the world that my photo captures is what makes art worth while to own.
Tell us about some of your achievements.
I was twice selected to exhibit 3 photos in the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center Colorado Artists Exhibition. I had a photo exhibition in the Manitou Arts Center that displayed about 30 photographs. Finally, I had photos in a regional art gallery mixed media exhibit and my photograph of one of my dogs in the show was used on the cover of the arts section in the Colorado Springs Gazette newspaper.
"I am passionate about travel because so many things arise to stimulate your thinking."
What are your sources of inspiration?
I loved the work of Sebastiao Salgado from the moment I first saw one of his photos. He shoots black and white photographs and he does exactly what I hope to do; he makes the viewer wonder about what they are seeing.
Steve McCurry is another great photographer who shoots in color and I enjoy that he finds people very interesting to photograph. My last inspirational photographer is David Yarrow, who does both black and white and color photography and many of his photos are of animals. All 3 of these artists provide inspiration because they have a very interesting take on the world around them.
What are you passionate about?
Very early I found a natural curiosity about many things. So, I am passionate about learning and satiating my curiosity.
I believe this curiosity is what directed me to study science. I loved school and to this day study because of my passion for learning. I am passionate about travel because so many things arise to stimulate your thinking. That, for me, is the great thing about photography. I try to capture the great things, the incredibly stimulating world around me. Photography has an essence of Buddhism to it. You saw something that will never be seen again. You found that brief moment that highlights the concept of impermanence and that sight/moment is mine and hopefully my photos translate so that brief moment of time can be appreciated by someone else.
"Photography has an essence of Buddhism to it. You saw something that will never be seen again."
Tell us the back-story of some of your projects.
I've wondered why I have really good focus when I am out performing photography and I believe that where I grew up has a lot to do with my ability to concentrate and understand what is going on around me. We grew up in the poorest part of the city and went to pretty tough schools. A skill that was of benefit was to be able to quickly understand what was going on around you and the mood of people around you as well. I have used this ability to judge my surroundings well when I am looking for a photograph. I also know that the very first trip I took overseas (to Kenya to see my brother who was there working with the Peace Corps) excited me and helped me to become passionate about capturing the images I saw.
Share with us your upcoming projects.
I have two places that I want to travel to and photograph. Papua New Guinea and Bhutan. Both of these places have incredible culture to experience and seeing the people practicing their culture in these locations I would find very intriguing. I also believe I have unfinished photographic goals in Kamchatka, Russia as well.
Tell us about where you are based.
I don't believe that I have a traditional base that I operate from. Just about any place I go, my camera is with me. In fact, I believe living in the same city for a significant part of my life is a detriment to using this city as a base of operation. I say this because I'm just too familiar with things here and I don't often feel stimulated by what is around me in an artistic sense. This is unfortunate because I know there is a wealth of great photography here but it is up to me to refocus on the area to see all the interesting things around me that I have taken for granted. Until I make that refocus, I will continue to love traveling to capture a world that is so different from the one I experience here.
"Art should make us think, wonder and feel that we are part of something, even if we didn't create what we are looking upon."
How do you feel about art and its role in the world today?
Think about your home, office, etc. and what you have there. My guess (my hope) is art. I can speak best about photography because this is the art form I work with primarily. People will see photos in my home and immediately this opens up conversations about the places and situations they see in my photos. The world comes to the viewer and stimulates them and I believe art has a very important role in bringing the world to people who otherwise may not be able to experience or even know about a certain culture or region. I love that I can look at the photos all over my walls and think about that moment. I still remember taking every photo I have on display and the photos I have on display that I did not take make me wonder just what the artist was able to see and experience when they took that particular shot. Art should make us think, wonder and feel that we are part of something, even if we didn't create what we are looking upon.
How do you want your Art to affect the viewer/ world?
Nearly every question I've answered seems to find me discussing something about how I have tried to capture something interesting and thought provoking in my photographs. I would hope I've achieved these goals and if I have, I believe I've brought a bit of the world into someone's eyes they've never seen or if they have been to the same locale, I've captured something unique for them to contemplate.
Website: peternicholsphotography.artspan.com
| PDF of the Interview in DESTIG Magazine |