Galatea and I welcome you to our site. I’m Photographer J. Gonzalez, with my incredibly rambunctious and spoiled 8-year-old dachshund, Galatea. I hold a Bachelor and Master of Fine Arts degree from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, both with a focus in photography.

With an interest in photography that dates back to my early high school years, I learned through admiring the work of great photographers like Ansel Adams that photography is a form of art that can significantly influence emotions. However, the countless hours I spent in my school’s wet darkroom and later in a makeshift darkroom I set up in a walk-in closet at my parents’ house moved my interest from simply appreciating others’ work to a decades-long passion.

As inspired by Ansel Adams, my first love was landscape photography, and although it will always captivate me, my artistic interests have expanded over the years. Robert Mapplethorpe’s exceptional command of light moved me to create still-life images, while other photographers’ work with abstract undertones has moved me to explore and evolve my own creative expressions in that direction. Recently, I find myself particularly inspired by Jan Grover. She was a brilliant artist that meticulously arranged everything to create a sense of depth while simultaneously creating relationships between everything within the frame. It’s an artistic vision that motivates me to continually push the boundaries of my art.

Yes, landscape will always interest me; it’s rewarding to share a unique perspective with those familiar with the scene and equally, if not more so, to show someone who has never seen that small part of the world my perspective as seen through my photographer’s eye. However, the same is true for all other genres with regards to my unique perspective. My still life work uses shadows and highlights to emphasize the subject, or its form, for my work that leans towards abstract. With my abstracts, I hope to spark curiosity in viewers, inviting them to contemplate both the creation process and what was captured. While some of my images’ subject matter is more obvious than others, the process of studying an image to make sense of it is one of the most enjoyable aspects when looking at abstracts. But whatever genre, the exploration of light and shadow remains the cornerstone of my creative expression, offering a fresh and unique perspective to all who engage with my art.

Gala and I thank you for visiting. Please comment, critique, ask a question or to simply say hello. Also don’t forget to register for our monthly newsletter.