interviewed by Juanita Canzoneri

So what is it that you do?
 
Digital photography
 
How is that different from what our other member, Teri Rowan, does?
 
I do landscape, wildlife, nature photography, and it’s not digitally enhanced in any way. So I just try to capture the image as my eye sees it. The only enhancement I do is so that I can match the finished image with what my eyes saw when I took it.
 
You’re working with a digital camera, so, in essence, all photography today, unless it’s film, is digital.  
​
When did you start doing photography?
 
When we lived in Indiana, I started taking pictures of barns, trees, and some of the landscape. This was in the late 1990’s. I didn’t know what I was getting into, but I knew I liked it. And when we moved to Colorado in 2004, I was completely inspired by the scenery here. We had an RV so we did a lot of camping and hiking and we would go to these amazing places and I really had an interest in trying to capture those images.
 
So, on my 40th birthday my husband bought me a “real camera”.

​What did you have up to that point?
 
Just little point and shoots that I’d been using. But he got me a digital SLR Sony camera. So I started taking pictures like crazy. And for me, I’m entirely self-taught with photography. I’ve taken a few classes here and there since I’ve done this professionally with art shows, but for me it’s been a lot of trial and error. I had one grizzly bear in the Tetons I took over 500 pictures of and probably only saved a couple of them. But it’s been a matter of me learning how to set my camera settings, an my aperture setting speed and how do those work together, and what are the effects I get when I change those things to take an image. I still take a lot of shots of everything I shoot because the lighting is different in every second.
 
Because I take so many photos, I tend to spend a lot of time editing and I do see that as part of the art of this process. Sometimes what my eye sees and what I take in through the lens, when I pull it up on my computer it doesn’t look like what I thought I saw. So that’s part of the image manipulation in a slight way, not overworked. I don’t want to work my images so much that the become not what you would see in nature. My ultimate goal is for it to look real and I want to capture images in nature that other people might not be able, or privileged, to see.
 
I’ve learned a lot along the way how to work the camera to get the image that you want.
 
What is this camera you have here?
 
This is a Canon EOS 5D. It’s my first full-frame camera. A full frame allows me to take a very large image.
How many lenses do you have?
 
For the 2 Sony’s I have interchangeable lenses. I probably have 8 lenses for them. For this Canon I have 3 that I work with primarily. Mostly I shoot with my 50mm-80mm for landscapes. I have another that allows me to do extreme closeups for wildlife and a macro that I use for closeup images.
And I have tripods and remote-control devices.
 
When did you move from hobbyist to professional?
 
Shortly after my husband gave me the “real camera”, which was about 10 years ago, I put my images on zenfolio which is a formatted website for photographers. I thought I would throw some images up there and see what responses I got from people—and not just my mom who loves everything I do.
 
So I put the website together and put it out to everyone I knew on social media and the responses I got back were somewhat overwhelming. I thought people would say, “oh, these are nice.” But the adjectives people were using to describe the images floored me. In some cases, it almost brought me to tears. And I thought, “well, maybe I can do something with this.”
 
My first attempt at doing something was thinking “I have to get a tent if I’m going to do shows and I need to get panels to hang the pieces on.” And I found a lady who had 4 pro panels, which are usually $120 each, and she was selling them all for $100. I thought that seemed like a sign.
 
I got a tent for a good price and everything started to click. But the first thing I did was an art show in Woodland Park at the high school, a craft show, and I was in the cafetorium and the gentleman across from me was selling bed sheets and I quickly realized I was in the wrong place.
 
I sold some things there and my first official art show was at America the Beautiful park in a 3-day show with torrential rains. In those 3 days I had $1,200 in sales and I was over the moon. Reinforced by that experience I signed up for a few more shows and it’s just continued on. This will be my 8th summer doing art shows. 

​How many do you typically do a year?
 
Since I work full-time, I was doing 7-8 a summer and now I do about 5. It’s hard to work all week, do an art show, work a full week, and do another art show. So, this summer I’ve cut back to the fewest I’ve done and part of that is having the opportunity to be in Commonwheel. This is a new avenue for me and it’s been great.
 
The work you would store up and sell in a festival you’re putting out and selling all year long.
 
I was in some galleries apart from Commonwheel. I’m part of the Colorado Creative Co-op in Old Colorado City. I’ve been there for years. I also had work in various places in Woodland Park when we lived up there and I’m still part of the Mountain Arts group up there.
 
And I still have my website. It has changed over the years and I have to go take photos off every so often because I have so many. It gets refreshed because I realized it’s not good to have thousands of images for people to pick from, that’s too overwhelming.
 
You put your images on a variety of formats—plaques, metal, canvas, matted prints, coasters, and cards.
 
On the web site I tell people to go look and then tell me what they want, what size, and I can customize what people are looking for.
 
I outsource the printing of my images because I believe printing is, in itself, an art form. I will do some printing of my matted prints, but I even outsource a lot of those. And to have the size printers you need for a large format is a huge investment.
 
You’ve started putting images in salvaged windows. Tell me about that.
 
For a long time I had the idea stirring in my head. It would be so cool to get an image that was like looking through a window. I didn’t want to carry glass around, so I looked at getting the images printed on plexiglass but didn’t like the look.
 
When I had some down time this past winter, I did some research and found a bunch of antique windows on Craigslist and Marketplace. I picked up a few initially. I wanted them to have a distressed look and what was fun about that whole process was that it was something different for me. I’m taking wood and sanding it, painting it, sealing it, and trying to figure out what to do with the hardware. It became a whole new aesthetic for me. For the image itself I still have it outsourced but when it comes back, I need to mount it into the window.
 
I custom size the images based on the windows. I take the glass out of all of them along with the glazing and the glazer’s points. It’s been interesting and fun. And now I have so many windows and my husband is thinking I may have gone overboard with them. I have 15 finished now and they’ll go to art shows with me this summer if they don’t make it into Commonwheel.

​ 
You mentioned that you work full time. What do you do?
 
I support a project management software. It allows me to work from home so the dogs are happy, and I can usually swing my schedule to take off early on Fridays in the summer to go set up for art shows. My photography is the opposite of what I do for work, so it is a release for me. And this is the thing that I know is my passion—shooting the photos—because I can lose all sense of time, surroundings, and space entirely when I do this. It feeds my soul.
 
I named my business “His Beautiful Canvas.” I’ve had a lot of people ask why not “her beautiful canvas” since I’m a woman, and I explain that the canvas is God’s. I believe God paints this picture, this image, and I’m privileged to take it in and share it. And sometimes I share it with people who can’t ever see those places. There’s something about it that’s special.
 
There have been a lot of art shows where a customer and I are both in tears because of what they see in my photo and tell me about how it affects them. When it came time to name my business, I was jogging by myself while we were camping at Lake Granby and I heard the name while I was praying. It’s been wonderfully rewarding connecting with others around these images.
 
You joined Commonwheel when?
 
It’s been a year now, and it has been wonderful to connect with others who understand the idea of “feeding your soul”, even though we do it in different ways. It’s nice to be with others who get that.
 

Artist’s Reception, Friday, July 21, 5-8 pm
July 21- August 14, 2017
 
 
Immersion
by Leti Wesolowski, contributor
 
 
Dan and Kathleen Krucoff, a husband and wife duo, are Commonwheel’s guest artists for the month of July. Dan is a photographer and Kathleen is a metalsmith and jeweler. They have longed to do a joint show featuring both their artwork.
 
Dan came up with the idea for “Immersion” to allow them to relay their love of the water-infused sights in Colorado and other areas they have visited through their respective media.
 
For this show Dan’s work consists of digital landscape photography with water as a central theme. From drops on leaves to ocean vistas, along with roaring waterfalls to still pools, he explores water in its natural forms. His goal is to leave the viewer with the feeling of being in these remarkable, inspiring places. He is focusing primarily on areas around the Pikes Peak region, but is also including subjects from other parts of the state and country.
 
As Kathleen began to develop new works for this show, she sought and found stones that represent water to her. Some pieces incorporate lush green Ocean Jaspers with emerald and gold accents that remind her of ocean waves. Other stones such as Leland Blue or Larimar evoke images of ponds and tranquil lakes. Kathleen has employed a variety of metalsmithing techniques such as Chasing and Repoussé to create seashells, and texturing to create sandy backgrounds in her works.
 
Celebrate with the artists at our opening reception on Friday July 21 at our Creekside Gallery from 5 to 8 pm, as part of the Manitou Springs ArtWalk.
 
This show will be on display and for sale until August 14.
 
 
 
 
 
When Kathleen and Dan were discussing the possibility of doing a joint show, the theme “Immersion” came from him. He thought that both of them could create art work representing water elements. For Dan, it was a great opportunity to share his digital photography and work in partnership with his wife. For Kathleen, an opportunity to incorporate to her work stones that signified water to her and enhance their natural
beauty.

Dan, How did you get interested in photography?

I started in photography in my teens. I was inspired by my mother and her father, who both were interested in photography as well. In addition, my father’s love of the outdoors and wilderness helped push me towards landscapes.
 
What does making art mean to you?​

Making art for me is about sharing a part of my life with others. Whether it is faraway places that I visit or just sharing the experience of something close by and familiar, it is always a small piece of myself that I have the benefit of showing.

What has inspired your artwork for this show?​

As a landscape photographer inspiration is all around me. I always see it that God has done all the hard work and I get the privilege of getting to bring that to others. The water theme of this show ties into this, not only as a subject itself, but also as one of the primary forces that shape the landscapes around us.

What intentions or emotions do you want to express in your artwork?

The intent of “Immersion” for me is to both use water as a focal point of each image and to communicate the feeling of being there. The power and sound that come from a waterfall, or the sense of scale from looking out at the ocean, or the quiet solitude in a still reflective pool, all elicit different feelings to the viewer.​

 
What is your favorite piece at this show and why?

My favorite piece is “Garden of the Gods Reflection”. It is my favorite because it shows how you can always find something new in locations you have been many times before. It was a bit off the beaten path and it was just so peaceful that morning with the refection of the rock formations in the pool of water from rain the night before. This image was done using the technique of High Dynamic Range (HDR). This is where multiple photos are taken at different exposures and combined to be able to show the darkest and lightest parts of the scene in all their detail.

What is your proudest achievement as a photographer?​

I consider my proudest achievement as an artist to be anytime someone decides to make one of my photos a part of their home.

Where else can we find your artwork?
 
Currently you can see more of my work on my website: www.sufferingfomexposure.com and on my Facebook page: facebook.com/sufferingfromexposure
 


 
Kathleen, tell us about yourself.
 
I’ve always been involved creating art. I dabbled with oil painting and fell in love with doing stained glass. Then, in 2007, I started to experiment with fused glass. I would wire wrap the glass cabochons I made. Through those pieces, I met a metalsmith who said she could take my work to the next level. In 2008, I took lessons from her and things just sort of grew from that.
It’s important to me to continue to learn and grow as an artist. Living where I do, I have had the good fortune to take a number of workshops from masters in their field, which has helped my work to improve.
 

What does making art mean to you?

Being an artist is an essential part of who I am. It is as important to my life as breathing is. I am able to express myself through my work. I have always loved working with my hands; metalwork provides some of the fulfillment I seek in my life.

What’s next for you?

I have tentative plans to go to Florence, Italy next year and take another Chasing & Repoussé workshop from the Italian Master Fabrizio Acquafresca. That would be a dream come true.

One of the many things my preparations for the exhibit taught me was to be prepared for change. I am so grateful to see the growth in my work and as an artist. It has been wonderful to collaborate with my husband Dan as he is one of my biggest fans and supporters. I feel very blessed.
 

Where else can we find your artwork?

My work is carried at Boulder Arts and Crafts in Boulder, CO and also at Luma at the Broadmoor here in Colorado Springs.

My website: http://www.kathleenkrucoff.com
My Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/KathleenKrucoffArtJewelry/
And my Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kathleenkrucoff/
 
​
Did you enjoy this post? Leave as a comment and let us know! We’d love to hear from you!
Want more local art news delivered to your inbox? Sign up for Commonwheel newsletter at the bottom of our home page.