Showcase is envisioned as a gallery that will change monthly, according to my whims as an artist. It may one month feature the work of one of my models, and then the next, be more thematically focused, perhaps around a holiday or an event.

For this, my first new gallery since my hiatus, I would like to re-introduce some of the wonderful models with whom I’ve worked, and I hope that you, Dear Viewer, will have the same pleasure in perusing these images as I had in creating them.

To travel, either near or far, and to document; to record that which is true in the moment, the intimacy, or the portentousness; the joy, or the tears —

To record, so that it isn’t forgotten.

In December of 2021, Jason Mehmel, the Artistic Director of Calgary’s Sage Theatre, asked me to do the promotional work for their world premiere of renowned playwright Clem Martini’s “Cantata — Rumours of My Crazy, Useless Life.”

We would start work later that month with Jason generously acting as a parts model — that’s his hand, used in the original poster — with more extensive work with the entire cast and crew in both March and April of 2022.

This was my first time ever shooting a theatrical production, so my jitters were legitimate, but it became one of the most demanding, exciting, and fulfilling shoots that I’ve ever done, and a selection of the photographs taken would eventually see print when a hard copy of the play (alongside a second work by Clem Martini, “The Extinction Therapist”) would be released by Durvile & UpRoute Books.

Forthwith, Cast & Crew:

Clem Martini, playwright; Valerie Campbell, actress; Brian Jensen, actor; Precious Akpoguma, actress; Rod Squance, musician/composer; Jason Mehmel, director; Emily Parkhouse, stage manager; Calum Maunier, designer.

The Art of capturing — or trying to — those ethereal, often hidden qualities that make an individual unique, filtered, invariably, through the artist’s and the viewer’s eyes.

If it works, it shows a moment, like a heartbeat, radiating through that moment and into the profundity of that ephemeral something that will last and be remembered, and maybe even treasured.

I have worked with Fearra more than any other model in my career. I have worked with her as a solo model, and as part of a duo twice, with the much loved and missed Lintendo.

Fearra brought a sense of adventure and daring to her work that pushed me as a photographer and as an artist, just to try to keep up, but the effort was more than worth it: together, we were published and awarded with honours, and this time, this dynamic, remains an integral part of my life, both personally and artistically.

Two wonderful, magical models; one with whom I’ve worked before, another who was new to me, and in those few, short hours that we had together, the most incredible things were found!

This gallery is the product of a shoot that changed my life. Just a few months after initially working with Fearra and Lintendo, I was privileged to work with them again in May, 2021. The magic that happened, the trust and insights shared, the vulnerabilities explored, all profoundly impacted the way that I approached and viewed my Art -- I learned that the statement is not in the drama or the spectacle, but rather in the humanity of the moment, in the individuality of the gesture --

Lintendo tragically passed away just a few months later in October of that year, and although the tears of losing a friend dearly loved never lose their sting, she serves as an inspiration and a standard still, one that I will always hold close.

For my models, Fearra, Lindsey, you will always have a piece of my heart.

I met “Anonymous” serendipitously, and asked if she’d model for me, and even though she had never done this before, she said yes.

She was a complete novice, but only once before had I seen such confidence, and the graceful awareness and energy that she brought to the shoot was wondrous, and the epiphanies and magic that we found through the camera left me in awe —

So much so that, how could I possibly address her as anything else, other than “The Lady —”?

Production & styling by Fearra LaCome.

It’s taken too long, since my Anonymous Muse and I last worked together; too long since I felt the excitement of her vivacity, the daring and elegance of her posing, and the pleasure of both her conversation and her company.

She is a remarkable young woman, my Lady Anonymous, as this gallery well demonstrates.