Petite perspective

Keith James’ abstract photography gives Coronado its close-up

By CATHERINE GAUGH

The body of work displayed in Keith James’ Instagram account has a range of photo subjects from all over: architecture, landscapes, music performances, classic cars. Included is a growing collection of abstract images, which have been featured in two local art exhibitions.

He says he has long been interested in photography, and a couple of years back, he discovered the niche art of abstract photography.

You can hear a slight influence in his speech from his upbringing in Wales, although he’s worked in San Francisco for many years as an executive in the pharmaceutical industry. He settled in Coronado in 2020 and retired last fall.

Q: What exactly is abstract photography and why does it interest you?

A: Abstract art creates visual impact through its use of patterns, shapes and colors, rather than recognizable depictions of our world. Unlike an abstract painting that starts with a blank canvas, abstract photography captures an existing scene. Part of the scene is ‘abstracted’ from the resultant photograph, creating a new image, distinct from the original.

Abstract photography is also called geometric photography. Sometimes it is done by zooming in on something to get a juxtaposition of features like shadows, patterns and shapes.

Q: The first exhibit of your work opened in September at the Coronado Public Library, “Abstract Coronado: Our City from a Different Perspective.”

A: I thought it would be fun to present a perspective of Coronado a little differently than what people typically see, like the Hotel Del and palm trees waving in the breeze. I thought the locals might enjoy seeing Coronado from a different angle.

It took about six months walking and cycling looking for interesting scenes, using contrast, shape and shadow. When I had a small collection of images, I approached the city with a pitch. They found wall space in the library’s Teen area. We even had a grand opening in September. There has been a lot of good feedback. It looks pretty nice, like it was meant to be there.

Q: Could you tell us about a couple of the images? I was intrigued by the closeup of a turquoise wall, called “Peeling Paint.” It’s poignant.

A: That was the favorite image of several people who were at the opening. It was along one of Coronado’s alleyways, where you see the backs of houses, the backyard and the garage. People tend to use brighter colors in the back, which you don’t generally see from the front of the house.

Somebody painted a brick wall turquoise, but as we know, the Coronado sunlight wreaks havoc with paint, so it was starting to peel. I decided to do a closeup of the wall with a bright blue sky as the background. It’s a simple image, with strong color contrast.

Q: The other photo that caught my eye is the circular pattern in “Radiating Waves,” also called “Black and Blue.”

A: Along one of the main roads, I saw that someone had nailed a bunch of surfboards on a wall and painted a lot of fun images on them, like targets and zigzags, all in blacks and blues. It’s unusual to see such bold colors, and I thought it was fantastic. I took the photo close-up so as not to reveal the entire pattern. I left a little of the surfboard shape.

Q: The images you display in “Who’s New? New Year/New Artists” at the C3 Gallery look a lot different.

A: The six pieces in this collection are abstract photographs of a single building in San Diego. While I was cycling around Coronado, I noticed a bright mural as part of the Coronado Bridge. That led me to

Barrio Logan, the largely Hispanic art-centric district known for its restaurants, food market and the murals of Chicano Park.

I explored a little more and made my discovery: a fairly new apartment building on National Avenue. The designers’ extravagant use of primary colors reflects the importance of murals to the local culture.

A member of the architecture team told me it was reminiscent of buildings in Guadalajara, Mexico. It was a real find.

From the original photograph, I focused in on the colors, geometric shapes and shadows to create separate images. They convey a futuristic, otherworldly impression.

Q: I think that people who view your work might be inspired to try this kind of photography, even if it’s just with camera phones. What advice would you give to get better pictures?

A: The crucial first step is to give some thought to composition of the subject. How close should you get? Will you be cutting off people’s feet? Check to see if the background is distracting. Pay attention to the location of the sun, which will affect the richness of colors. These steps can make a big difference in the impact of the photograph.

James’ photos can be viewed on Instagram at instagram.com/dry.wry.brit.wit. ■