A blurred shape: as the eye of a monstrous creature, floating in an indiscernible dark red. Yellow lines: magically moving differently, towards the same direction. Blue bubbles: mysteriously sizzling, as if an oceanic volcano is about to erupt on Mars. When confronted with Pen Densham’s art works, there are usually two immediate reactions: What the Hell is that? And: I’ve never seen anything like this before. 

Then, a third question comes to mind: How can these surreal, strange images even be created? The answer usually brings disbelief and astonishment. These images capture the simplest, primordial elements in Nature (water, koi, Napa trees) in a full-framed, in-camera exposures without the use of Photoshop. One of the strengths in Densham’s work is its simplicity. Abstract or figurative it is often sublime, comprised of complex color compositions that just flow. “These pictures happen to me,” explains the artist, witnessing the extraordinary forces of Nature, then harmonizing with an intuitive “click” of the camera. His photos remain imprinted in the mind, especially after being informed of their origins. “I have had a love of cameras since I was four years old, “expresses Densham. As a child, his parents made theatrical shorts and animal films.

Densham’s very first job was “riding a live, 7-foot alligator,” according to his appropriately titled book on creative screenwriting, Riding the Alligator, (MWP 2011). His father, a cameraman, was “the all-powerful wizard with the magic machine.” “Something, I have tried to master through the rest of my life,” humbly comments Densham, an Oscar-nominated filmmaker. He is the creator of Robin Hood Prince of the Thieves, as well as writer and director on many features and TV Series. With partner John Watson, his company, Trilogy has won over 130 international awards. Pen was even honored with a medal from the Queen for his contributions to the arts in Canada.

Densham kept his passion for image-making alive by leaving school at 15 after being punished for constantly using his camera instead of studying math. He started a photography business, sold photos to local newspapers and even shot the Rolling Stones for the BBC. Then Densham made a radical gesture, his first artistic one: turning the camera onto himself. Go Shoot Yourself is the article he published about this experience, explaining his thoughts about the hypnotic beauty of light reflecting on a mirror. One of his key concepts was born: reflection, meaning the act of reflecting is as much as the state of being reflected, and ultimately, the act of meditating. A theme he continues with his kaleidoscopic mandala images.

Densham emigrated to Canada at 19. His interest in Nature derives from a fascination with Canadian expressionist and nature photographer Freeman Patterson. With a grant from the Ontario Arts Council Densham spent a year observing rivers and lakes, and filming water reflections, “a subject that combined my interest in reflections with water’s fantastical elasticity and organic beauty. 

”The exhilarating feeling that Densham’s current work has is the signature of an artist who “got free” and enjoys his practice. It hasn’t been easy. He remembers the “stuffiness” and “rigidity” of the landscape images he tried to achieve for years, following the influence of Patterson by strictly taking Kodachrome slides. “Despite taking thousands of slide images, I was disappointed by my results. I slowly let my cameras languish and concentrated on writing, directing and producing as my artistic expression...” observes Densham, “…until my daughter took up my old Nikons at 15. Her naïve innocent image-making was so much more fluid and ethereal than mine.” Densham learned from her untrained, spontaneous way of using this medium.

He then was given a digital Lumix LX2, “and my photographic world changed. I loved the extra wide frame size, almost the entire rear of the camera was the viewfinder, the sudden freedom from eye to camera contact and the amazing Leica optics and RAW output in such a small and maneuverable form.” On a trip to Hawaii, he decided to wade out chest-high into waves with his new camera. This was the impetus for his Wavelife series. 

Looking at Densham’s works, the eye dances as if it’s following a symphony – music transformed into shapes. It moves quickly from here to there, from a shape to a curl, from one color to another. Somehow, the artist is doing with photography what Monet and even Bonnard did with painting. Like the French Post-Impressionists, he can capture the essence of a fleeting moment, the light and reflections on water, but also the variation of the sky reflected on the water.

As Densham broadened his palette to other facets of Nature, he quotes Pollock, who definitely comes to mind when observing his body of work. The way he uses his camera, as a paintbrush sometimes very fast in front of its subject, is indeed close to the drip style painting of the New York artist. “Pen Densham’s work bi-passes the logic centers and goes straight to the emotions", explains Rex Sikes, a neuro-linguist. "Because they are mysterious, yet feel familiar.” This art is universal. It transcends the egocentric approach that characterizes much contemporary art. 

Conversely, his aesthetic is defined by lightness, playfulness and poetry. ”Ultimately, confronted with Densham’s work, one would eventually attempt to understand what his images represent. But, as with any important work of art, you don't really know what you are seeing.  And it doesn’t matter. In fact, it’s precisely what is fascinating about these photos, Densham’s work enlarges our field of vision, in an attempt to capture what has never been seen before.