March is Women’s History Month!

Spanish Dancer (1971), Ruth Bernhard

I was raised in a female family, and by that I mean, a family composed of my three sisters, my mother, and my father, whose job as a pilot for Pan American required long absences. Later in life, I found I was much more comfortable with women than men, as it seemed I lacked the competitive fire of my male friends.

In looking at my photographs, it is probably no surprise that I have also been influenced by a great many women photographers. In the 1970’s at the University of California Extension I took classes from Guggenheim Fellow Susan Felter and more recently had the privilege of sharing my cameraless art with Ruth Bernhard towards the end of her life. When I presented my work at the Getty Research Institute, I was given access to their archives, including a 2-hour stroll through the very first book ever made of photographs, Anna Atkins Photographs of British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions, which rocked the photographic and scientific world in 1843. I like to think that my work expresses the feminine beauty of the world I have gleaned from these relationships.

Recently I became aware of this online celebration of the critical role of women in photography at the prestigious Robert Berman Gallery in New York. Whether you are a feminist or a lover of the medium, this is an exhibit that you shouldn’t miss!