Artist Statement:
Encounter with a Dream

In an age when cameras are ubiquitous, I feel compelled to reach far beyond the traditional boundaries of photography. In my quest to create unique and timeless images that speak to current concerns, I value complexity, color, texture, contrast and asymmetry. I find that I’m usually more influenced by painters and cinematographers than by other still photographers.  and I frequently collaborate with artists in other disciplines to learn new skills, find social relevance, and reach new audiences. 

I’m a Kansas-based artist who digitally manipulates the photographic images I make through a randomly guided process to create semi-abstract and abstract artworks. My techniques include any combination of intentional blurring, shape-distortion, recoloring, and recontextualizing. I use an inexpensive DSLR camera and apps on my phone and laptop. I generally print on paper and do my own framing, and I’ve also made a book, a poster, an outdoor billboard, and metal prints.

Within a few years of graduating college as an actor, I became a writer/filmmaker, and the experience of spending three decades freelancing for corporations greatly informs my work as an American artist. Vast inequities in society, the misuses of land, resources and people, and the influences that corrupt governments, can often be viewed in a thousand tiny moments of decision among ordinary people that lead to changes in our perception of reality. I believe that changing reality with my artwork, pointedly or subtly luring  viewers to a dream state, helps with the process of realizing what is truly valuable and what we truly are.

I learned at an early age to trust my intuition in working on art, and to allow time for ideas to percolate through my subconscious. This often involves taking hundreds of camera images during a shoot, and reviewing them for hours, weeks and sometimes months to see where they lead. I’m also an habitual autodidact, and my acquisition of new knowledge and skills is driven by what's needed to complete projects. 

Jeff Tamblyn bio

Abstract photographic artist Jeff Tamblyn has also worked in experimental live theater, improvisational stand-up comedy, filmmaking, and art-house film distribution. His current work relies heavily on intuition and thoughtfully  planned randomness to challenge conventional forms and cultural insularity.

Tamblyn exhibits on a nearly continuous basis, having shown at over 20 local and regional venues. His pictures have won a Best Photography Award at Images (a Kansas City gallery), inspired a live dance performance, and have been displayed in giant form on the Kansas City Crossroads Artboards, curated by the Charlotte Street Foundation. He collaborates with artists in other disciplines on a regular basis, and is currently represented by Cerbera Gallery, in the Crossroads Arts District, Kansas City, Missouri.