My approach to photography has always been a distillation of reality into a personal vision -- an Impressionist style and view, which uses an individual process to purify and condense images to emotional interpretation. I want the observer to see the heart of the subject. This is also my approach to Impressionist Portraiture. I photograph the individual or group with an image of emotion.

I have been told that my photographs look like paintings, but on closer examination they are not painterly, nor are they traditional photographs. They may be something in between or something altogether different. My imaging process is directed by feelings rather than techniques. I sometimes deliberately eliminate unnecessary detail and texture, and purify the tones and colors to reveal the essence of the subject . The resulting photographs are Impressionistic in visual character and Expressionistic in emotional and intellectual content. Most of the time I choose to work with the initial camera exposure without additional composite images, but I am not adverse to adding an element if it makes a stronger statement.

My main tools are those of modern digital photography which incorporates in-camera manipulation and software filters, as well as printing and other techniques that allow me to project a personal Impressionist view. These kinds of techniques blend the colors of light, form and movement to create Impressionist freedom. The prints are Giglee produced on professional watercolor papers that further enhance the Impressionistic nature of their presentation. The prints are also uniquely matted and framed, making each photograph a one-of-a-kind piece of art.

Of course my imaging techniques have changed over the years -- from my early B&W experimentation to my present Impressionist and Expressionist renditions. Even though I include Abstract Impressionism as part of my artistic expressions, there is a common thread of technique that runs through all of my work -- it is a visual search for simplicity and purity of emotion.
  --- Don O. Thorpe