FEATURED ARTIST:
Robert Kato

About the Artist

My photographic journey began after I developed my first roll of film and watched my first print "magically" appear in the developer tray, I was hooked, and there was no turning back. Naively, I found that my creative vision could be realized much more quickly with lens and film rather than with the brush or pencil. Later, I would come to realize that the brush and pencil were instrumental in giving me a strong foundation in the art of seeing as well as visual communication.

Subscribing to the found object school of photography, I, foolishly, refused to alter any image before and/or after
exposure. Somewhat hampered by my elitist fine art attitude, I proceeded to pursue and receive an education in commercial and advertising art/photography. I then came to the conclusion that there were no qualitative lines that differentiated good fine art photography from good commercial photography. Good photography was just that, good photography.

My formal training in the art of taking and creating images was acquired at the College of San Mateo/CA and The Art Center College of Design/CA. After what must have been thousands of hours in the darkroom and studio and what seemed like miles of film, I abandoned photography for a while.

Little did I know what changes were beginning to take place during my extended hiatus from photography. One day, I ran into an old friend who had a thriving commercial photo studio. I inquired about his business and the current state of photography. Without a word, he proceeded to take me into his new darkroom. He sat me in front of a computer monitor and a Power Mac. He then proceeded to load Photoshop....and the rest is history.

My first experience with Photoshop was analogous to that magic moment in the black and white darkroom. I was
absolutely dumbfounded with all the possibilities that were before me, and I didn't even know about the invisible powers contained in the program. Just imagine, the effect it had on any remnants of my "purist" attitude towards image manipulation, alteration and truth. I created digital excesses, and subsequently found that less is truly more. Genuine mastery of Photoshop renders an invisible tool.

The results of my photo/digital experience have provided me with the opportunity to assist traditional as well as digital artists with fine art printmaking and digital imaging. Presently, I work at a studio in the San Francisco Bay Area where my primary responsibilities are image manipulation, retouching, restoration and fine art giclee printmaking. Now with computer and camera, I have begun to finally rediscover and realize my passion for personal image making.

Contact information

Robert Kato

Email: qikato@sbcglobal.net

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