Artist's Statement:

My images are created by happenstance - that's to say that I rarely set out to photograph anything specific. I photograph the world around me. The notion that my images capture a specific moment in time has always held great appeal for me.

Digital imaging has given me complete control over the end result - I now have control of not only the creative process (actually composing and taking the photograph), but also in the editing process to bring my vision to fruition!

In essence, this is the world through my eyes and I welcome you to it - enjoy and thanks for your time!


Biography:

I discovered photography at the age of 11 more out of curiosity than anything else, when I found the family's old 35mm Yashica - what my father termed 'la camera'. My interest in the medium intensified when he brought home a new 35mm SLR a few years later. It was adopted as my own right at the onset - to this day that equipment is still in my possession. Most of my earlier photography revolved around the old Ontario Place Forum in Toronto where Rock musicians of the day would be photographed. By my late teens came the realization that photography was a medium for artistic expression.

I started concentrating on the beauty surrounding us all. I read photography books. I wondered at the mastery of Ansel Adams.

Ultimately, photography became a means for documenting my travels. I have had the good fortune of travelling over the years: Canada, the USA, Cuba, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, England, Israel, France, Spain, Portugal, Italy and Greece thus far...

Photography remained a passion even as the complexities of adulthood, family and work took their required demands on my life. My photographic skills were used during my lengthy employ in the wood manufacturing industry while living in Vancouver. A number of my images were published in company brochures and catalogues over the years. I have maintained a personal photographic website, WorldScapes - Fine Art Photogarphy by Serge Chriqui, since 1998.

In late 2003, I moved my family back home to Toronto where the better part of a year was spent searching for my next move... it was time to put my 25 year passion for photography to the test!

In late 2004, came the arduous task of editing images and selecting a few dozen for my first offering at Toronto's Distillery District Artisan Market for the summer of 2005. Having been accepted as a vendor, my first prints were sold on May 21, 2005. The exercise was repeated in 2006 with a refined offering to greater success. Interspersed during this time, were a number of group shows and representation in a few Toronto area galleries. Not satisfied with the results from the gallery representation, I took my next step further into the art world.

In early 2007, I founded Scollard Street Gallery in Yorkville, a renowned shopping district in downtown Toronto. There was now a permanent home for my work, where it could be shown more professionally and in larger sizes. In addition, the gallery represented over two dozen artists during its tenure.

Because of the economic downturn, the gallery was closed 2 years after we opened our doors. With a little more time on my hands, I have found renewed enthusiasm for my work and I still get out and photograph the world around me as often as possible... Today my current project is focused around rescanning and re-editing my film archives. Revisiting some of that work has been an eye-opener and I do believe I found a few diamonds in the rough! Please stay tuned...

Serge Chriqui