San Diego Artists Become Subjects In New Photo Book

This is KPBS midday edition. I'm Maureen Cavanagh. We may know their work but we don't know them. A new book of photographs hopes to change that. San Diego photographer Jennifer Spencer's creative project was to document San Diego's creative artists and show the people behind the work. Spencer compiled the photos into a new book called The Artist Portrait Project a photographic memoir of portrait sessions with San Diego artists. She spoke with PBS reporter Alison St. John. So what is the aim of this book. What are you offering us. What I hope to get across to the audience is the fact that not only are these artists unique in our community because it's very difficult for artists to make a living here but also they have persisted that persistence of creative spirit has existed for some time has lasted while at least since I've known these artists. How do you think getting to know a little bit more about an artist. In this case seeing their photograph would help us appreciate their work more. I try to capture the essence of the artist when I went to their studio. But through that I'm hoping that the viewer will actually begin to better understand what the artist is all about. I also have portions of my diary that I included with the photographs. That's why it's a photographic memoir. And that combined with the photograph I think tells a little story. And when you go to somebody's studio or you go to take it take their photograph. What are you looking for exactly. I'm looking for them to be well genuine with me. Now these are artists that I knew while I worked at the organization organization combined organizations for the visual arts for 13 years. And I wanted to see what they were like since I had not seen them for a while. When I retired after 13 years I went back to school going back to school taking care of a family made it limited the time that I could have with my friends downtown in San Diego especially for openings etc.. So part of the idea behind this book as it started was a little project to really connect with my artist friends which was fun. Now I really kind of knew them already. But it wasn't until I actually photographed them that I got to see other things and got to experience other parts of them. Can you give us an example of something that you learned about a friend through taking their phone. Well I had called David back Brown who is a multimedia two dimensional three dimensional artist in East County and he said fine I'd love to have you come out but I have a different appearance and I said OK no problem went out there. He was totally bald and going like wow what was this. It occurred to me that he'd been taking these acting classes up in L.A. and I thought he was you know preparing for a part. No that wasn't the case. In walked his studio mate Kim Knox who was also bald and to make a long story short she had discovered she had cancer and lost her hair in the process of her treatments. And David and what I would call the support of her. She said two and together they made a really wonderful couple to photograph together. But it was a beautiful photograph. Oh have you seen. Yes. Did you see that one. At any rate I was really lucky that I got that particular photograph. But in the book they are photographed as individuals and still both striking. Now one of the artists that you know many of us have heard of is James Hubbell. And I've seen many photographs of him or quite a few. But this was the first photograph where I really felt like I might be able to recognize him in a crowd. Good point. Because I do research before I photographed looking for photos of the artist that have been taken. I could not find one of him in a closeup. And I thought that's really weird. I always saw him a little hooks and crannies of his creations which is kind of cute but you know it really doesn't fit his personality. I thought so when I met him down at one of his sculptures down on Point Loma Harbor Island. I think it was. And he stood in place. I photographed him move back and forth finally got a portrait of him that I really liked because it expressed I thought who he really is. He not only creates our unusual architecture but he works with groups down in Mexico. He's just like a humanitarian in the arts and he's like the leader. So when I photographed him it looked to me like he was the ship's captain looking out to sea. Looking forward I sent his photo to him by the way. And he loved it. He and his wife really loved it because they like that concept of the ship's captain. Looking forward into the art world. So in the in the epilogue you write about how the project revealed more about the artistic culture in San Diego than you'd expected. Tell us about that. I had originally gone out to photograph just their essence. But in talking with them over a two hour period I was able to capture a little more about their background how they had persisted had created through all trials and tribulations responsibilities you know that they come into. And so I was very impressed with their not only their work ethic but their persistence. The book launch event for Jennifer Spenser's the artist Portrait Project a photographic memoir of portrait sessions with San Diego artists is at Warwick's La Hoya next Thursday July 19th.