al keiser
I have been taking photographs since my teens. My first camera was a 35 mm Kodak, I don't remember the model. The process of getting from the click of the shutter to a finished print was, for me, interesting but time consuming and, to some extent, uncontrollable. I enjoyed taking pictures but for the most part worked in other mediums.

I have pursued my design education by studying Design at Illinois Institute of Technology - Chicago; Architecture at Washington University - St. Louis; Industrial and Graphic Design at Southern Illinois University - Carbondale; Interior Design at St. Louis Community College - Meramec and, recently, Ceramics at Furman University - Greenville.

While at IIT and Southern Illinois I took courses in photography, both still and film, including extensive darkroom work. Most of this photography was for illustration and/or record of various design works. Later I began taking photographs and videos as a creative medium.

My early work experience ranged from opening a design studio at Gaslight Square in St. Louis; partnering in Spot on the Square, a gallery of fine arts and antiques wherein we also reclaimed architectural salvage, designed and manufactured furniture, and rehabbed older buildings; working with a structural steel fabricator designing and selling structural steel and specialized coatings; and serving as Field Engineer with a major industrial equipment manufacturer.

Later I diverted my creative energies into the arena of Commodity Futures, becoming a licensed broker, doing securities, insurance and office management. I worked with several firms, started a trading fund and ran a branch of a major dealer.

A major wake up call occurred when EMS carried me out of my office one morning. It was definitely time to get back to my roots. I began designing and selling decks for a major player in the deck business. I went on to manage a dealership for a major home manufacturer, designing and selling high-end residences. Lately, I have been using my architectural talents in the promotion of sustainable home building.

Over the years I have had many different cameras and taken pictures for my own amusement or to illustrate various projects. Photography as Creative Art eluded me. Then came the digital camera, and with it the ability, using a photograph and a computer, to create a unique visual impression. At first, this technology worked well for smaller prints but film was still the choice of serious photographers. Recently, technology has improved, allowing for the enlargement of images while retaining detail. Digital photography was the tool I needed for visual creativity.

In the spring of 2005, I experienced, for the first time, photographs printed on canvas. About a month later I printed one of my photos on canvas and I was hooked.

Early in 2006 I began experimenting with printing on various fabrics. This eventually led to printing on satin fabric. In October of 2006 I stopped printing on canvas in order to concentrate on developing printing fine art photographs on satin fabric.

My research in this media continues as I expand my catalogue of images.