Jeff Zaruba
Limited Edition Archival Pigment Prints
As my work evolves, I continue to be drawn to the beauty of light, simplicity, and the graphic boundaries of space and shape. Subconsciously, I find that my images often have a sense of journey, aloneness, and mystery.
Born in Philadelphia and raised in Chicago, I attended a very logical, alphabetized grade school and because my last name started with the letter Z, I was often seated in the back corner of the room near the windows. I may have missed the finer points of what the teacher was talking about, but I spent many, many hours quietly staring out those windows, learning to see.
My work has taken me to all 50 states, 300 cities, and over 40 countries, yet I neither speak nor understand any foreign language. I feel that in those situations, sensory compensation kicks in and I actually see better not having to try to hear and process conversations.
Moving from silver gelatin prints to archival pigment ink prints on 100% cotton rag paper over the last 15 years, I feel my images now resemble some of my early graphite pencil drawings I worked on in art school.
I earned a fine arts and photography degree from Arizona State University in 1975, immersing myself in the study of the black and white masters; Stieglitz, Strand, Weston, Cunningham and Ansel Adams. I also have a deep affection for the work of Irving Penn, Ernst Haas and many of the early Magnum photographers. My wife, Erin, and I split our time between Northern California and the Arizona Desert.