Like the work of Ansel Adams, Clyde Butcher’s remarkable photographs give us an access to nature we rarely see or experience. They not only reveal the intimate and majestic beauty of the Everglades – and the need to save this fragile environment – they also remind us of the abiding kinship we mortals share when we work together to preserve these magnificent places. Butcher’s art is a national treasure.Ken Burns – Emmy-winning filmmaker
Clyde Butcher’s powerful black and white photographs explore his personal bond with the environment. The exquisite beauty and depth of his work draw the viewer into a relationship with nature. For more than fifty years, he has been preserving on film the untouched areas of the landscape. His images are captured with an 8”x 10”, 11”x 14”, and 12”x 20” view camera. The large format camera allows him to express the elaborate detail and textures that distinguish the intricacy of the landscape. The photographs range in sizes from 8x10 inches to 5x8 feet.
When asked what transforms a photograph into art, Butcher responds with a smile, “That’s the million dollar question. I think it’s obviously the person behind the camera who creates the art. In any form of art you go from a craftsman to an artist. There’s a point when that happens. It’s a mystery. Art doesn’t come from fancy equipment. It comes from a way of seeing the world.
I choose to photograph from my heart, which is very different than working with your head. When I see a scene that stirs my soul, I photograph it. Since I have been photographing the landscape for over fifty years, I instinctively see texture, value scale and composition, which create a satisfying photograph to me personally. I’m always glad when it’s well received by others.
I think art should create an emotion. That’s communication. Communication is one of the most difficult things in life. You know that old adage, ‘A picture is worth a thousand words’? People relate to that.” As he continues to explain his philosophy he expresses his desire to help people care about nature. “You have to find a way to get through to people and let them understand the importance of nature,” he says. “Without nature, there’d be no air, no clean water, and nothing to eat. I feel my images create an emotion that reach out to people and help them see their surroundings in a different way that encourages them to save those wild places where peace can fill the soul.”
Butcher looks to the wilderness to answer questions that are probably very different from questions scientists ask. For Butcher, wilderness is a sacred necessity. He believes the mysterious spiritual experience of being close to nature is restorative and that discovering the intimate beauty of the natural world is healing to the human soul.
Although Butcher will always be identified with the Everglades, he is deeply committed to recording precious landscapes throughout the world. The beauty and importance of Butcher’s photography quickly earned widespread recognition resulting in museum exhibits in the United States, an exhibit at the National Gallery of Art in Prague celebrating the new millennium, and a request by the United Nations to photograph the mountains of Cuba to celebrate The Year of the Mountains.
Butcher has been honored by the state of Florida with the highest award that can be given to a private citizen: the Artist Hall of Fame Award. He was also privileged to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award from the North American Nature Photography Association and given the honor of being Humanitarian of the Year for 2005 from the International University. Additionally he received the 2011 Distinguished Artist Award from the Florida House in Washington, D.C. and the Sierra Club has given him the Ansel Adams Conservation Award, which is given to a photographer who shows excellence in photography and has contributed to the public awareness of the environment.
Butcher has completed six Public Broadcasting programs on the environment of Florida, with three of them being award-winning documentaries. Much of his work can be seen in his numerous books. The most recent being America the Beautiful, a table top collection of his work from across the United States and Portfolio II – Florida, a collection of images from Florida.
“I’ve been pursuing the concept of wilderness preservation through photography since 1961. I think it’s important for an artist to have a passion – you need to find a source of inspiration,” adds Butcher. “You have to follow a path and develop a sense of character in what you’re doing. What I’ve done with the Everglades is to help turn a swamp into a precious resource. I think it’s important for an artist to have a passion about the medium they use, but they also need to have a passion about what they are trying to express. Without that passion there is no heart, no soul, in the final piece of work.”
Artist Statement
"Wilderness, to me, is a spiritual necessity. When my son was killed by a drunk driver it was to the wilderness that I fled in hopes of regaining my serenity and equilibrium. The mysterious spiritual experience of being close to nature helped restore my soul. It was during that time, I discovered the intimate beauty of the environment. My experience reinforced my sense of dedication to use my art form of photography as an inspiration for others to work together to save nature's places of spiritual sanctuary for future generations."
RETROSPECTIVE
Becoming a professional artist takes talent and perseverance, even more so when the field is photography. During the early years of Clyde's photographic career, the medium of photography wasn't considered art. At its highest praise, it was considered a craft. When Clyde chose the art of photography as the path for his life, he unwittingly chose one of the most difficult art forms in which to succeed. This exhibit traces the path from his early days as an architectural model photographer, the transition into the field of landscape photography, and his struggle to keep the focus of his vision on the art of photography, while still trying to support a family being an artist.
