| For almost twenty years Tom Baril has been photographing flowers, objects,
architecture and the landscape, exploring numerous ways of seeing and
attending to presentation. His vision and insights into the natural beauty
of sand, bulbs, and buildings is evident when one looks at his images.
In 1997, only a few years after showing his work in galleries, his first
book, Tom Baril, was published by 4AD. The book quickly sold out, and
is now in its second printing. Born in Vermont is 1952, Tom Baril studied photography at The School of Visual Arts in New York, where he earned a B.F.A. in photography in 1980. In his senior year, he began printing for various photographers, including Robert Mapplethorpe a relatively unknown artist at the time. He continues today to print Mapplethorpe's photographs for The Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation. While Tom Baril's work at the Mapplethorpe studio was an enormous education, he never stopped photographing for himself, perfecting his craft. The result of his hard work can be seen in his sensual images of tulips, sea shells, beaches, factory towers and bridges, all photographed with a large format camera. Photographing flawless rose buds, wilted daisies, architectural wonders as well as the beaches in Hawaii, Baril's eye captures the beauty of both the manicured and the unkempt, exposing nature's true qualities. One look at Tom Baril's prints and the viewer is keenly aware that the photographer has mastered his craft. Photographing with unabashed reverence for beauty, Baril selenium tones his prints before placing them into black tea, creating a gold patina unlike anything seen before. The result of his darkroom savvy can be seen in photographs that radiate, commanding our attention. |