Oak Cliff :: A Social Landscape in Transition    Preface

This book is about my 40 year love affair with this unique neighborhood called Oak Cliff  in southwest Dallas Texas. A far cry from the over-hyped and  glitzy capitol of conspicuous consumption "Dallas" most people think of, this niche is a sweet breath of fresh air far removed from the rest of the city that lies across the modest Trinity River. When my wife and I discovered Oak Cliff after we moved to Dallas in 1983, we were lured by its unique topography, beautiful old growth trees, ethnic diversity and rich history, not to mention its affordability. After we moved here, I began making photographs in the old business district on Jefferson Boulevard and in the lush old yards and alleys near our house.  The photographic approach I use is straightforward and is a reflection of my personal response to or curiosity about subject, whether it’s an urban landscape, portrait or otherwise. It became my goal to reveal the richness of this unique neighborhood and its inhabitants, exploring as many themes as I could.  My wife and I lived, raised two kids in and continue to enjoy life after 40 years in the same little bungalow we bought in 1983.

My first significant photographic experience was standing next to my father in the dim red light of his darkroom watching the latent image on the print he had submerged in the developer solution magically appear. Mesmerized, I began my lifelong obsession with the surreality of photography. My father, a physician and professor of medicine was a true “shutterbug” since childhood, taught me camera operation, black and white and color film processing and basic printing techniques. He was a patient teacher and had no qualms about allowing me to use his beloved Exacta VX100, an expensive SLR camera in the 1950’s.

My interest waned until my high school years when I bought my first camera. I Made photographs of friends, family and my environment and worked happily in dad’s darkroom. It’s funny to think back on my rejection from the high school newspaper because of my long hair; it was 1968 in Little Rock Arkansas. I matriculated at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville in 1970 and embarked on a BA in Psychology; there was no photography program at the U of A at that time. I graduated in 1974 and continued making photographs and completing studio art and at history classes at the University. A painter friend and I shared a studio on the town square where I worked on my portfolio while working a variety of part-time jobs.

Lucky for me, Mike Peven came to Fayetteville in 1977 to start a photography program in the art department at the U of A and thanks to his advice, mentorship and encouragement I applied to and was accepted to the MFA program at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. The die was cast. All my heroes and mentors were artists who made their living as college professors, one of the few jobs that allowed them to make a decent living and continue to make work. That was my goal and after I graduated with my MFA in 1980, I was offered a professorship at LSU in Baton Rouge, followed by a position at Tarrant County College in Fort Worth from which I retired in 2016.

My photography has always been concerned with personal experience: family, friends, neighborhood, community. Almost diaristic.  I’ve never sought out sensational or commercial subjects, preferring to reveal the sensational in the banality of the everyday. Oak Cliff has been my haven for photographic adventure where I can still find compelling subjects around every corner.