Artist Statement
A Burd’s eye view
When I look through a camera view finder, I look for details, the small pieces that make up a photo composition, the fragments that give life to the subject that I am focusing on. It may be a twinkle in an eye or the door knob on the facade of a cathedral. It is much easier to focus on the obvious, than it is to see what is “not the obvious”.
I have been chasing shadows for 25 years. Shadows are not the obvious part of a photo composition. It is shadows that shape the light in a photograph, and draw our attention to the light. Shadows are what transform simple things in new and unusual ways.
What is a photoGRAM? In the history of the photographic process, photograms were the first images ever made. Since these simple beginnings the photogram has always had a place in the contemporary photographic experimentation. For 30+ years, I have been making negative illuminations we call photoGRAMS.
Biography
Richard Burd is a fine arts and documentary photographer. He completed his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Advertising Design at the University of Michigan. He received his Masters of Science Degree in Photography from the Institute of Design at the Illinois Institute of Technology. At IIT he studied with Aaron Siskind, Arthur Siegel, Joe Jachna, and Harry Callahan. He worked as staff photographer for the Chicago Tribune and was Professional Photographer and University Professor of Photography at Governors State University in Illinois. He has exhibited his photography in Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan and Ohio. A retrospective of his photography, “A Life in the Light,” was held at the Tall Grass Arts Association Gallery in Park Forest, Illinois.
2023 Exhibitions
March
20 photoGRAMS
Sun City West Library - Sun City West, AZ
2022 Exhibitions
March 12-April 16
"Black and/or White" Juried multimedia exhibit
TallGrass Arts Association - Park Forest, IL
June 5-July 10
"OpenLens XII" Juried Photography exhibit
Gallery Seven - Lockport, IL
2020 Exhibitions
June 20-July 25
“HOT WHEELS: Antique, Vintage, Classic and Contemporary Cars and Motorcycles”
TallGrass Arts Association - Park Forest, IL
2019 Exhibitions
May-June
Curated the exhibit: “UNintended Consequences”
10 photographers shed their light on outcomes that are not foreseen or anticipated by a purposeful action.
Tall Grass Arts Association Gallery - Park Forest, Illinois
November-December
“Chasing Shadows”
25 images on the Art of Seeing Shadows.
Vickers Theatre, Three Oaks, Michigan
2018 Exhibitions
March 9-April 14
“Stalking Light, Embracing Shadow”
TallGrass Arts Association - Park Forest, IL
2017 Exhibitions
Contributor, Sales Gallery
Courtyard Gallery: New Buffalo, Michigan
July 18-August 5
Ambiguities/Innuendos? Go Fish
University of Michigan School of Art & Design Alumni Exhibit
November-December, 2017
One man show: “The PhotoGRAM”
Vickers Theater, Three Oaks, Michigan
2016 Exhibitions
January 22-February 27
“Getting There”
An exhibit of images that portrays getting from Point A to Point B
TallGrass Arts Association - Park Forest, IL
July19-August 6
Horror Vacui: “The Fear of Empty Space”
University of Michigan School of Art & Design Alumni Exhibit
2015 Exhibitions
July 13-August 2
"Puzzles, Riddles and Enigmas"
University of Michigan School of Art & Design Alumni Show 2015
July 18, reception 5:30pm
"Burd's Eye View"
Harbor Country Progress Gallery
16142 Red Arrow Hwy, Union Pier, MI
July 31-October 30
Regional Exhibit
Illinois State Museum - Lockport