LPV Magazine

Thanks for this Bryan. I just thought I would comment back with an “artist Statement” I’ve recently written.

The City Naturalist

I grew up in Huntington, West Virginia. While Huntington would not be described as rural- it is a university town- much of my childhood and adolescence were spent in West Virginia countryside. Hiking, fishing, and camping were always some of my favorite activities. Relocating for my education took me from West Virginia to Boston, Massachusetts, and moving for career took me to New York City. For nearly a decade I focused my efforts on street photography. In the past 3 years, though, many weekends I was not only shooting street photography, but also leaving the streets to shoot zoos, aquariums, and the Natural History Museum. A series began to quickly emerge. Like many people, I was able to see more clearly where I came from, and who that place made me, only after I had been gone for years. Despite the fact that I live in one of the largest urban areas in the world, I will always be drawn to nature. However, living in New York City, what passes for “nature” may be 95% manmade. Be it a very real monkey in the Bronx, or a pristine diorama in a museum uptown, The City Naturalist is a visual chronicle of the creatures and places that I have been drawn to.

-James Wendell