RAYMOND BLEESZ. Chronicling the American West

Raymond Bleesz is a self-taught photographer who has lived and photographed in Colorado since 1970. Stepping out of the high school classroom as a teacher of history and photography, Bleesz has pursued an interest in traditional black & white photography, characterized by a strong attention to the craft of print-making. This old school approach makes him a bit of an anachronism today, but aligns him with a long line of artists who have focused their life’s work on chronicling the American West.

The photography historian Lyle Rexer wrote: “Raymond Bleesz is an American original… American originals tend to be attached to places, patches of land (even though they may travel far and wide), and their work has a strong regional flavor. At the same time, no matter how local their interests, they always seem to seek qualities that are universal, that could be understood and appreciated by anyone...

Is this universal mode of address all just an illusion of American optimism?

Raymond has been looking at a large patch of land in Colorado and points west for a very long time. He is sensitive to its physical moods and textures, its spaces, and its theatrical shifts of light. There’s plenty of visual interest in his landscapes, made even more dramatic by the contrast of his favoured black and white. But unlike Ansel Adams’ west, Raymond’s is populated. People make their marks on it, build there, and travel through.

Most important of all about this photographer, more important even that the extensive catalog of Colorado scenes he has imaged, is a quality of sympathy. This is especially clear in his portraits. Very often what you see in photographic portraits is an artifact, usually of the photographer’s control and desire to make some kind of statement…In Raymond’s portraits, something else is revealed. His portraits rarely seem forced even when they are formal because what he really captures is something that passes back and forth between himself and his subjects. I am not sure how to put that into words. Call it respect or affection or trust, it yields portraits that are distinct and particular as a signature but as common and familiar as a nearby relative. He accords them dignity, but he lets them breathe.”

We’re very pleased to be representing some of Raymond’s work. One of his most renowned and critically-praised images, “Joe Berry, Christian Cowboy, Prague, Oklahoma, 1987,” is being featured in an auction benefiting Mountain Valley Horse Rescue. The sale will open on 21 September and stay online through 4 October. The auction can be accessed here.