Terry Walker Artist Statement

When I was four years old, I fell passionately and hopelessly in love with the love of my life. I remember the experience vividly. It was love at first sight.

I love wild places. They penetrate my soul and uplift my spirit like nothing else on earth. I return to them year-in and year-out for renewal like a migrating bird driven by instinct. The farther I venture into them, the deeper I fall in love with them.

Although "wild" by nature, these places give me comfort. They calm the beast in me. And quell the chaos of modern living. They are where I feel most at peace with myself. What laws of nature frame such an enigmatic contradiction? I do not know. It is one of those unsolved mysteries of life that photographers like myself are left in solitude to ponder on film. A mystery for which I have no desire to find an answer, but merely delight in exploring.

To me, these wild places are heaven on earth.

It is my unconditional love for these wild places that brackets the goals of my photography.

They are to:

Stir the body, mind and soul of the viewer.
Move people to save wild places through greater appreciation of them.
Convey an altruistic message that has broad viewer appeal.
Focus on a subject to which everybody can relate.
Create excellent art that captures the imagination.
Travel to specific locales that are inspiring.
Preserve wild places threatened by development and human encroachment.
Generate funds that will enable me to continue my life's work:
For the conservation of wild places and their preservation through donated funds earned by my photography.
As a full-time occupation, thus ensuring my own survival.
Through higher education, workshops and the teaching of fine art photography.
As a unique investment designed to increase both the appreciation of wild places and the value of my work as fine art.
Through philanthropic contributors who share my concerns.
Through exhibition in museums, educational institutions, environmental groups and other public venues, as well as private and corporate collections.
For the benefit of organizations advocating wild places.

I am most happy, alive and at home when I am in my favorite wild places. If pressed to make a choice between wild places and photography, I would have to choose wild places. I can not live without them. Nobody can. I hope this excruciating decision is one that I will never have to make.

In parts of the world where words and language barriers present obstacles to capturing the essence and beauty of these wild places, my photography never fails to speak for itself.

A spirit greater than my own has given me the gift and privilege of being able to express my love affair through photography, in what Eliot Porter described as intimate landscapes.

I am not a poet with a camera. I am a messenger.

There are days when I have not been able to produce a single image of a favorite wild place worth printing. However, I never fail to come away in absolute awe. How incredibly lucky I have been!

Although a bit of a recluse by nature, I am always pleased to share my passion for photography with others, and my unabashed love for wild places. For me, they are a sanctuary for people, not just a refuge for wildlife.