Sightings Photo Show June 2006

“Sightings”
The Photography of Wes and John Wehmiller, an exhibit at the List Gallery, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore PA, June 2006


“Sightings” was on display at the List Gallery in the Lang Performing Arts Center at Swarthmore College during the month of June, 2006. The show was inspired by a series of images taken by both father and son of each other in the process of taking photographs. It features the work of these two generations of photographers, their unique styles, and their influences on each other’s work. Proceeds from the sale of photographs will be donated to the Wes Wehmiller Endowed Scholarship at Berklee College of Music.

Below is the text that was provided to all exhibit attendees.

John Wehmiller began using a camera early in his life under the tutelage of his father, Fred Wehmiller, an inventor and avid photographer. As a young child traveling with his family throughout North America and Europe, John was nurtured by his father’s passion for sighting and recording with his camera. At home in St. Louis, Missouri, John spent hours at his father’s side absorbing the techniques, wisdom and magic of the dark room. He has kept his father’s negatives dating back to the 1930’s, and a selection of Fred Wehmiller’s photographs will appear in the show along with his son and grandson’s work. As the father of two sons, Wes and Abe, John passed along his love for travel punctuated by ritual “curiosity stops” to photograph the landscape. He has also fostered an enthusiasm for the beauty of the earth in generations of students at the University of Delaware where he has taught geology for almost 35 years. His work has been shown in the Lewes Fine Arts Show for the last three years, and appears in the collections of families on the east and west coast.

Wes Wehmiller, who along with his younger brother Abe, grew up in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, was born with a great gift and love for music. Wes studied classical piano from an early age and eventually chose the bass as his principal instrument. Following high school, Wes earned a scholarship to attend Berklee College of Music in Boston. A successful career in music followed including five years touring worldwide with the multi-platinum pop band, Duran Duran. A recognized master of the bass, Wes brought the same intense focus, curiosity and mastery to the camera. In January of 2005, Wes died of thyroid cancer, leaving a legacy of love in the music he composed, performed and recorded as well as the enormous body of photographic work he had produced as he traveled to perform music all over the world. Wes’ work has been shown at the Packard-Reath Gallery in Lewes, Delaware and appears on the websites, album covers and notes of many musicians based in Los Angeles where he was a session bassist.

All three generations of photographers shared a love of trains, and the show features several images of Cajon Railroad Pass, located where the San Andreas Fault intersects the San Bernardino Mountains. In July of 2004, John and Wes enjoyed time photographing together in this place, famous among railroad enthusiasts because of the frequency of rail traffic, and the area has both historic and geologic significance.

Wes’ uncle, Charles Lawrence writes, “When a fellow photographer asked Wes who had inspired his brilliant photography, he answered, ‘My Dad.’ And you could see it in his work—the love of the aesthetic and the love of mastery of technique. There is a wonderful pair of photographs, taken by John and Wes—each shooting a picture of the other—sighting down the rails of the track between them—each intensely regarding the other and the planet’s beauty.”

All proceeds from this exhibit will benefit the Wes Wehmiller Memorial Scholarship Fund established in Wes’s honor at Berklee College of Music.

The photographs from "Sightings" are presented in this gallery as listed below - this list was available for all who attended the show. Overview photos of these photographs, taken the day the show was hung, are presented here. In the coming weeks more detailed versions of each photograph will be posted.

Last updated July 27 2006.

Most of these photos are limited editions. For further information contact jwehm@comcast.net.

Photograph Photographer* Title and/or narrative

1 WW Portfolio #18
2 WW Macro #36
3 WW Portfolio #45
4 WW Organic garden #31
5 WW Time killers #4
6 WW Portfolio #57
7 WW Portfolio #10
8 WW Portfolio #88
9 WW Portfolio #84
10 WW Portfolio #32
11 FWW European cathedral, 1951
12 FWW Italy 1951
13 FWW Belgium 1953
14 WW Red Square, Moscow 2001
15 WW Red Square, Moscow 2001
16 JFW “Wes’ world, Boston” July 2005
17 JFW “Thanks John for the Music”… tribute to John Lennon, Dec. 1980, northbound on the NJ Turnpike
18 JFW Portrait of Wes taking photograph of himself, Santa Monica Mountains, July 23, 2003
19 WW Self-portrait, Santa Monica Mountains, July 23, 2003.
20 JFW Wes photographing road sign, California, July 2004
21 WW Road sign, California, July 2004
22 JFW Wes using John’s Nikonos to photograph his brother Abe at naptime on Block Island RI, July 1978
23 WW Naptime on Block Island, July 1978
24 JFW Wes taking photo at Cajon Pass, California, July 2004
25 WW Wes’ photo at Cajon Pass, California, July 2004
26 WW Cajon Pass, California July 2004 (Hobo Hangs #9)
27 WW JFW at Cajon Pass, July 2004 (Paparazzi #2)
28 WW Portfolio #24
29 WW Santa Barbara #2
30 WW H2O #2
31 JFW Junked Truck, Nassau, Delaware, 2003
32 WW Hardware #22
33 JFW Westbound train, Mojave Desert, May 2005
34 WW Gadgets #5. This is a close-up view of the camera mount that is on the display pedestal adjacent to the photograph. The camera mount was passed on from Fred Wehmiller to John, then to Wes.
35 Fred Wehmiller with Rolliflex, London, 1953
36 FWW John with Kodak Brownie and Bike, ca. 1950
37 PLW Wes and John, Cape Henlopen DE, January 2001
38 JFW Jacob Epstein’s Social Consciousness #1, Philadelphia Art Museum 300+
39 JFW Jacob Epstein’s Social Consciousness #2, Philadelphia Art Museum 150*
40 WW Tyler Five String Bass. Wes’ bass, made by James Tyler. This was Wes’ primary performance instrument between 1998 and 2005. It is now in the trust of Wes’ mentor at Berklee College of Music, Danny Morris 150*
41 JFW Chester County Farm, Springdell PA. 1997 300+
42 JFW Southbound, Route 13, Delmarva. Oct. 2004. 300 (395 as framed)
43 WW Portfolio #60. This image was taken in southern Oregon in July 2004 while Wes was driving to Vancouver. He rendered the image into this wonderful sunset, and there is no record of the original digital file. We refer to this image as “here comes the sun” in honor of the Beatles tune with that title, the tune that was playing on the radio the night that Wes was born. NFS
44 WW Paparazzi #5: John on Topanga Beach, CA, July 2003
45 JFW Becalmed, Swans Island, Maine 2004
46 JFW Family Tree in Winter, Chester County, PA. 1997.
47 JFW Under the Tree of Life, Pilottown Road, Lewes DE. Dec. 2001. This tree is considered the largest hackberry tree in Delaware, and the cemetery is for the remains of Black soldiers who fought in the Civil War.
48 JFW Fog over Drakes Beach, Pt. Reyes, CA Dec. 2004
49 JFW Breaking Wave, Pt. Reyes, CA. 1981
50 JFW Colorado River, Grand Canyon Mile Point 139, April 1970. Wes is named for John Wesley Powell, visionary scientist who documented the Grand Canyon in the 1870’s.
51 JFW Walking the Dog, Gower Peninsula, Wales June 1991


* WW = Wes Wehmiller (see smugmug galleries); JFW = John Wehmiller; FWW = Fred Wehmiller (Wes' grandfather); PLW = Paula Wehmiller

THE PHOTOS BELOW ARE WIDE-ANGLE VIEWS OF THE GALLERY AND GROUPS OF IMAGES. MORE DETAILED IMAGES ARE BEING POSTED AS TIME PERMITS. JFW 7/27/06