Artist of the Month – Photographer Patrick Vernon Dean 

                         By Gay Scheffen, Three Lakes Center for the Arts 

There are moments in life that take your breath away, or the quiet ones that live forever in your memory.  Capturing these images in available light is the specialty of photographer Patrick Dean.  Moody, magical, mysterious.  Sultry, seductive, sentimental.  These are just a few of the feelings evoked by this complex artist’s work.  “My philosophy in life,” Dean said, “is to look for the extraordinary in the ordinary.”  How this translates from belief to expression on film has been a lifelong journey for Dean.

Dean was born in Milwaukee, the 5th of 8 children. His love of photography was motivated by a unique event when he was a teenager. He developed a love for motorcycles.   This led him to Motocross races and before long he was working as the flagman, positioned on the course at the top of a hill.  “I had motorcycles flying over my head and some crashed as they landed,” Dean recalled.  “I bought a $20 pocket camera to catch these images on film.” This is where it all began.

After high school, he attended the University of Wisconsin in Milwaukee to earn his degree and then, for ten years, worked as a 6th grade teacher.  He continued to do photography for pleasure, and then professionally, as people discovered him and his discerning eye.  “I have spent the past two decades photographing hundreds of weddings,” Dean said, “with the endless quest to capture the elusive, candid ‘decisive moments,’ which define my style, attitude and outlook.” 

The style of French photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson (1908-2004) can be seen in Dean’s work.    Cartier-Bresson was the father of modern photo journalism and helped to develop the candid style of “street photography” that has influenced generations of photographers.

Over the years Dean spent teaching, he observed a need in the children which was not being met.  There were times when a child experienced a loss and was distracted in class by the grief he or she was feeling.  “I couldn’t help,” Dean said, “and I wanted to find a way.  So I took a sabbatical, returning to school at Marquette University, with a focus on children and grief.” 

In 1988 he founded the Wisconsin Grief Education Center.  He is also the director and works with clients on issues related to grief, loss and healing.  Grief education and support is provided, as well as school support for grieving kids, individuals, families and communities.  He has served as a Critical Incident Stress Debriefer for police, fire and EMS and at hospices and cemeteries.  He earned many certificates in this field as well as co-authoring “The Instructors Guide to Death and Dying” (with authors, DeSpelder and Strickland,) and collaborated with psychologist Alan Wolfelt, PhD. providing hundreds of portraits of children to support the text of “Healing the Bereaved Child.”  Dean’s latest book is entitled “The Tao of Grieving” (with Doug Smith) and is available at Amazon.com.

Photographer and naturalist Dean said, “I have spent countless days road tripping and roaming quiet and always awesome northwoods Wisconsin rivers, in search of the trusting bald eagle, the wary loon or other unexpected delights…surprised by my kayak drifting around a river’s bend at just the right time, just the right place. With serendipitous natural light enhancing the moment and space, we share ...”  

Grief therapist Dean spent two years working in Crandon, WI. following a tragedy in Oct. 2007 which left six teens dead. The juxtaposition of the grief he is exposed to in counseling and the joy exhibited in his photography is a tribute to his humanity.  The full spectrum of the human condition, from fragility to strength, ecstasy to anguish, is present in his work.

One who investigates Dean’s website, www.PatrickDean.com, will be treated to shots of his energetic dog, Sensei, leaping through the seasons.  There are photos of many other animals and beautifully composed shots of The Milwaukee Ballet (which he photographed for four years), exquisite Northwoods scenery, weddings, expectant Moms, captivating kids and endless poses of beautiful women.  Take a look.  You won’t be disappointed.

Dean currently teaches classes in digital photography at UWM on topics such as Learning How to See Creatively, Photographic Composition, and Storytelling via Photographic Images.  Dean laughed and said, “I tell my students to slow down and look!  Then – photograph things that move or things that don’t move.”  That should about cover it.

Dean’s work has been published in magazines, books, billboards, and is in many private collections across America.  His riverfront “Elm Island Gallery” is on the Fox River at Elm Island, just a half hour SW of downtown Milwaukee and only about an hour from Chicago or Madison.  It’s open by appointment.  Call 262-534-2904.  Dozens of his photographs are currently being exhibited in the gallery at the Three Lakes Center for the Arts (126 Superior St., Three Lakes, WI.) from mid-Feb. through March.  Call for hours: 715-546-2299.