Giles Rafsnider

Giles T. Rafsnider, Ph.D.
1215 Garfield Street
Denver, Colorado
80206-3514 303-331-1330
rafsnid@nilenet.com

My artistic philosophy derives from personal conviction buttressed by statements of the author Norman MacLean and photographer Paul Strand. MacLean closes his masterwork A River Runs Through It with “I am haunted by waters.” I strive to convey a sense of the mysterious in flowing waters and arid lands, and touch viewers at deeply personal levels. My portrayals of the works of Man are informed by Strand who said, “Subject matter is extremely important to the artist because it is through the factual world that we express life.” And, “Almost all the things of the world have their own character. I think that what exists outside the artist is much more important than his imagination.”

My photography is driven by the imperative to create connections between individual viewers and the realities portrayed. Action must flow from these connections. Images of waterscapes and landscapes are intended to catalyze reintegration of individuals with the natural world, moving them to dignify rather than destroy. Images of cultural artifacts are intended to convey forms and textures, reawakening a sense of shared humanity across space and through time.

I strive to achieve a visual simplicity that invests each image with clarity and the immediacy of its central message. My work is done in the small rather than the large. I seek to awaken a sense of comprehensibility and personal relatedness in each viewer, rather than project grandeur and complexity that overwhelm.