Vilèm enjoying some sun and some art.
Artist Statement
My passion for photography started as an avenue of self-expression and communication. Born in Moravia, Czechoslovakia, I came to the United States at the age of eighteen, unable to speak the language, but eager to communicate.
I began my career as a conventional studio photographer, however, portrait photography was not where my true passion lay. I always had a desire to push the limits of conventional photography; to make a full blown leap to the arts in general. I always believed that when one makes a portrait photograph he or she always deals with other people's emotions, plus one's own. When one makes non-posing portraiture or abstractions he/she mostly, may be even only, deals with one's own emotion. Dealing with one’s own emotion only is the highest non-discriminatory point of creative freedom.
As a studio photographer, I found myself bound by the restrictiveness of conventions and so I pushed into the limitless possibilities of photo based abstraction using photo sensitive materials as the base for my photography and photo-transfers. As the Greek word, "photograph" suggests, ("photo", defined as "light" and "graphic" meaning "to draw,") I consciously reinvent, supplement, counteract, and alter dimensions, by capturing my delight in the everyday. By juxtaposing unlikely elements and images, I can tell a story in my own artistic way, striving to create montages that inspire and leave viewers desiring more. — Vilèm
Vilèm currently lives and works in the Pacific Northwest, as Co-owner of Fotoeffect Studio and Gallery. His work can be seen at his studio and various venues and shows on earth.
Vilèm's Homepage Photography Drawing Photo-Transfers 3-D Work Artist Statement Vilèm's Last Words