Charles Kohlhase - Artist's Statement

"Once asked to summarize in less than 75 words the essence of what I believe in, I wrote: "Rise early and seize each day, learn much and use this knowledge well, spend time with those you love, never abuse your pets, use logic to fight the irrational for it is everywhere, defend the environment and its wildlife as a knight would protect King Arthur, meld mind and heart for greatest creativity, follow your dreams and become all that you can be."
With these overall convictions as a basic template, my artistic vision is to create images that reveal the beauty of life in all forms, but with emphasis on two areas more than any others. For the first, I am compelled to capture the natural environment in the form of landscapes and wildlife. I am partial to the remote alpine regions, but will not neglect the coastal beauty. For many of these images, the raw material in the northwest and Alaska is absolutely superior.

For the second area, however, my knowledge of science and technology drives me to imagine the future of human life, both on Earth and on other worlds, surrounded by its architecture, its advanced machines, and perhaps a few surprises from the past. It is in this second area that I yearn to turn my imagination loose for an unbridled journey."