The Johnsonian

Issue date: 4/2/08 Section: Arts

"I Am Who," a piece by junior fine arts photography major Travis Rowe, is just one of the many pieces from Rowe's has created since he arrived at Winthrop.

Travis Rowe's photography history can be traced to its beginnings back in high school.

"When I was in high school, I would take out my dad's camera and take digital photos," Rowe said.

Until then, his main hobby had been skateboarding, something he grew up with.

Rowe is a junior and is also a fine arts photography student. Since he's been at Winthrop, he has been exhibited in student shows in the McLaurin gallery as well as in exhibitions off campus at the Loading Dock downtown.

Once on the fine arts track, Rowe moved away from his beginnings in digital photography and found that he responded more to the traditional method of black and white photography.

"I enjoy the quality of black and white. I feel like I have more control," he said.

He utilizes traditional techniques and develops all of his photos manually. He defines his current work as contemporary. He enjoys shooting at night and often approaches an idea from a technical perspective. Rowe is greatly influenced by painting, specifically by the artist Richard Prince. Additionally, he finds himself extremely interested in the human form and portraiture in his media.

His attraction to the portrait lies in the ability of the camera to capture emotion and the image's subsequent ability to instigate a response from the viewer.

In addition to his interest in fine art, Rowe is extremely aware of environmental issues. He recognizes the effects of his own processes and notes a fallback in some of his preferred techniques in photography.

"Black and white is a little more wasteful, but I try to compensate for it in other ways," Rowe said.

Rowe's passion for the environment and his passion for his artwork have both grown during his collegiate career. However the artist's current work does not directly reflect any specific environmental issues. He offers, however, that there may very well be a stronger unification in the future.

"I feel like [my work] should be green."

One thing Rowe feels especially negative toward is the mountain top removal mining of coal in places such as Kentukcy, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. He feels that it may be possible, through his medium, to make others aware of this highly destructive activity that is rapidly destroying entire ecosystems and communities almost overnight.

This concern is one of several that Rowe feels may eventually find a place in his photography. He expresses an interest in traveling to locations where this has occurred and documenting visually the effects of this type of mining.

As for immediate goals, however, Rowe is currently on schedule to graduate from Winthrop with a BFA in photography within the next two years.

Upon leaving, he plans to move to and travel Europe, and get a "real job" outside of his artwork, leaving more time for him to focus on his artistic growth and identity. He plans, additionally, to show his work in galleries both at home and abroad.

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