Papa’s Deli Gallery is very pleased to have Bill Cottman’s work on display during the month of July. Join us for a reception to celebrate the art of Bill Cottman on Monday, July 13th from 5:30 to 7:00.

Bill Cottman has been making photographs since 1969. In high school he wanted to be a commercial artist. Bill’s high school did not offer guidance in the area of commercial art so he went on to became an engineer and photography became his tool for self-expression. Early on, Bill tried to make photographs that looked like paintings in the hope of being accepted as an artist, learning the rules of composition and looking at work by the masters; Weston, Strand and Adams. They photographed magnificent places and people and then produced technically perfect prints. Later, discovering the works of Winogrand, Cartier-Bresson and Frank; photographers of ordinary people and places. Their work was done on the streets, quickly and casually but with careful consideration for the descriptive quality inherent to the medium. Much later, Bill discovered VanDerZee, Parks and DeCarava; black photographers working in all the styles the medium offers while consistently documenting the lives of black people.

Portfolios of work can be seen at www.salon1016.org