John Villinski Medium: Photography

Turbulent Flow

www.abstractsouthwest.com

520.327.9605

John Villinski is a self-taught photographer who has been documenting the southwestern United States and northern Mexico for the past 23 years. He has a PhD in Hydrology from the University in Arizona where he specialized in environmental chemistry issues.  

In 2005, after 15 years in an environmental laboratory, John left to pursue his passion – photography. John takes traditional landscape and floral images, but he describes the main focus of his work to be capturing the fundamental structure of nature.  “These details are often revealed in the objects we find lying on the desert or forest floor, or on the beach, yet are often overlooked by the casual observer. I collect many of these objects to photograph in my studio under the Still Life tradition.  I also enjoy exploring abstract forms contained within seemingly ordinary natural objects. Often, these are small details in rock or plants that literally cause me to stop in my tracks. I have found, to my delight, that water (or the removal of water) has played an integral part in the formation of the patterns/colors that I find. My scientific background has brought to me a deeper understanding of how the forces of nature shape our world. It is my desire to share these intricacies with as wide of an audience as possible.”

John Villinkski’s work takes you into the world of oft-unnoticed details. While the southwestern United States is known for grand landscapes, stunning vistas and endless skies, John focuses on the small intricacies of the desert. Whether it is the structure of a succulent, or the patterns left by the harsh environment’s action on discarded human objects, John enjoys exploring the underlying architecture of the world around us.