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From darkest Dorset
John Miles is an artist who came to photography via painting. And his odd – often a blend of wacky and spooky – illusory images are built up just as a painter might create with a brush, either in the conception, during time in the darkroom, or simply in the spotting of (very) odd juxtapositions. He studied art at Goldsmiths College, London, and began making photographs in 1964. As a photographer his technique is far from polished, “... never having acquired the photographic skills which are predicated on following technical rules and getting it right.” But he has been hooked since his earliest experiments: “... I did try, and from that moment on realised that this was the medium for me - all smoke and mirrors!” In his earlier work he experimented with various collage techniques, including printing multiple negatives: “I then realised that I could achieve something familiar, in structural terms, without spending hours in the darkroom by simply looking for it in front of the camera.” Miles lives and works in Dorset, and most of the 50 black and white photographs in Tumulus have been taken in and around the village of Loders. A conversation between Miles and portrait photographer Steve Pyke rounds off the book, in which they discuss his work and influences. Tumulus represents a truly individual body of work, created over 40 years, any single image from which will set you thinking. But Miles does not appear too full of himself: “The story goes that [Eugene] Smith was asked in an interview how many pictures out of a lifetime’s work did he still find truly memorable; he quoted five. ... I would be happy to be remembered for three.”
Tumulus, by John Miles, is published by Invisible Inc, £30 hardback, ISBN 0-9551357-0-2.
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