Bio

Robert Michael Sullivan was born and raised in southern California. As a youngster, he enjoyed drawing, and displayed a sensitivity and awareness of beauty and design in architecture, nature and the environment. Interest in the quality of his surroundings led to architecture and urban planning studies in college, followed by professional work in the latter field.
The desire to be immersed in beauty motivated him to live in and explore scenic areas of Oregon, Arizona and Washington as well as his native California. While living in Oregon he started backpacking into wilderness areas and experienced the peace and splendor of pristine worlds. He has also spent time exploring urban areas including botanical gardens and architecture. Extensive travels have included Alaska, Canada, southwestern United States and Europe.
A camera always accompanies his journeys. He taught himself photography and later expanded that knowledge with college courses.
He belongs to the American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP) as well as the Pasadena Society of Artists.

Artist Statement

Beauty is an aspect of my essence, my being and nature, it is my very soul. Beauty is something that suffuses my awareness and consciousness. It is my passion. I feel spiritually nourished and joyful in beautiful environments.
I love to explore the world in search of visual elements which can be composed into beautiful photographs. I am most drawn to the natural world and architecture as subjects. Sometimes I find new subject matter that I have not photographed before. At times the views are broad and other times very close up. Some scenes are anticipated, while others present themselves spontaneously.
My compositions have a strong sense of design in which every part plays an important role. The relative proportions of elements of a scene, their weight and balance, line and shape, pattern and texture, light and shadow are orchestrated into an integrated composition. As I position the camera to create the image, I feel in my gut when I know it is right. I typically compose photographs with the intent of printing full frame.
When I travel, I lose all sense of time and seem to be living in an eternal moment. When involved in creating a photograph, I also become absorbed in the moment.