Visitors often have a lot of questions about my art, how it came to be, and where I am going with it. You can find answers to a lot of commonly asked questions HERE.
ABOUT
David Day
Artist statement:
My work explores the emotional residue of dreams-the way they linger, distort, and rearrange meaning. I recreate the visual cadence of dream states, where abrupt transitions and illogical juxtapositions evoke both wonder and unease. By inviting viewers into these fractured narratives, I aim to provoke connections that feel deeply intuitive yet intellectually dissonant echoes of the lucid dream, where clarity and chaos coexist. My images emerge entirely from intentional camera movement, using both single‑exposure and layered constructions to build forms that feel simultaneously organic and invented. The raw materials—leaves, twigs, tissue paper, newsprint, stones, bits of glass, plastic fragments, and other studio detritus—are arranged not as subjects but as catalysts. Under extended exposure, these humble elements shed their identities and become something more volatile: flickers of memory, half‑formed creatures, or architectural apparitions that seem to surface from the subconscious rather than the physical world. I describe this studio‑based approach as Controlled Camera Chaos (C3), a term I introduced in 2022 to distinguish my practice from field‑based ICM work. While rooted in the same foundational movement techniques, C3 expands the vocabulary through deliberate scene construction, sculpted light, and finely tuned motion. This combination produces imagery that resists fixed interpretation and often triggers pareidolic responses—faces, figures, portals, or dream remnants that feel familiar yet unplaceable. In this ambiguity, viewers encounter the same tension that drives my work: the unstable border where memory, perception, and dream logic collide.
About:
David's training in art began in the 1970's under the guidance of noted Pittsburgh, PA artist, Nell Kaley (1921-2012). Kaley's work can be found in galleries throughout southwestern Pennsylvania and in private collections. Under her guidance, David's early artistic endeavors were acrylic abstractions completed while he was located in Atlanta, Ga. (1988-1996). It was here that he created 'Space Snakes' that was displayed for many years in the board room of Scientific Atlanta. In addition to many other abstractions now in private collections, David produced 'Blue Ice' that was commissioned in limited edition for participants in several winter festival events held in Waterbury, CT in 2003-2007.
In the late 1990's, David transitioned to photography as his primary means of artistic expression using infrared film in most of his work. This work was exhibited and sold through the Black Rock Gallery in Bridgeport, CT. In 1998, his work 'Tissue' received a first-place division award at the prestigious annual Burr Homestead Art Exhibition, Fairfield, CT.
After participation in a variety of on-line classes during the Covid pandemic of 2020, and inspired by the works of Ernst Haas (1921-1986), David shifted his creative focus toward intentional camera movement (ICM) as a way to infuse his work with motion, ambiguity, and emotional depth. A serendipitous image of three plastic-coated copper wires, created through an accidental camera gesture, became the turning point in his approach to ICM as an art form.
From 2020 to the present David has been experimenting with new ways to generate ICM-based art within a controlled studio environment. He has defined and documented methods, processes and equipment to transform everyday subject matter into images rich with pareidolic symbolism and dreamlike resonance for many photographers who have studied and now emulate his work. This body of work evolved into what he collectively terms 'Controlled Camera Chaos' (C3).
Though his final images often appear complex and layered, they originate from simple materials found around his home: wire, weeds, leaves, twigs, plastic bags, newsprint, tissue paper, ice, and pieces of glass. With carefully orchestrated lighting and deliberate camera movement during extended exposures, he creates visuals that invite multiple interpretations, often triggering subconscious associations and memories of dream events. The C3 approach has led to the publication of four books, numerous awards, and participation in juried exhibitions. David regularly speak at art associations and camera clubs across the U.S. and Europe, where he shares both the technical rigor and emotional undercurrents behind his work.
Recent Awards and Recognition
August 2022 - Artist of the Month - International Pure ICM Group.
January 2023 - Best in Show, Best in Division and Judges Choice 'Two Bowls' - Northern Light Gallery - Albuquerque, NM.
Feb 2023 - ' Aortic - featured in Rapid River Arts ana Culture magazine, Canton, NC.
Feb 2023 - Artist in Residence - Northern Light Gallery - Albuquerque, NM.
April 2023 - Artist of the Month - Northern Light Gallery - Albuquerque, NM.
June 2023 - The Long Climb to Salvation - Image of the day - Abstract Photography Facebook Group
July 2023 - Aesthetics Exhibition - Toronto, Canada.
July 2023 - Best in Show for 'The Long Climb to Salvation' - Northern Light Gallery - Albuquerque, NM.
August 2023 - Impressionography.org - Arborist At Work
August 2023 - Celebrate Art Juried Exhibit 'Astigmatism Memesis' - Art League of Henderson County, Hendersonville, NC.
Sept 2023 - Mephistopheles - FRAMES Magazine.
Sept 2023 - Honorable Mention (2nd place) - Art on Main Exhibit, Hendersonville NC Arts Council.
Sept 2023 - Remnants -Editor's Applause Award - Frames Magazine.
Sept 2023 - Stepping on Wet Pavement - Judges Choice Award - Northern Light Gallery - Albuquerque, NM.
Sept 2023 - The Punishment of Sisyphus - Best of Division - Northern Light Gallery - Albuquerque, NM.
Sept 2023 - The Punishment of Sisyphus - Best in Show - Northern Light Gallery, Albuquerque, NM.
Oct 2023 - Remnants - Featured Image - Minimalism In Zen Photography - Facebook Group
Oct 2023 - Remnants - Black and White Exhibit - ArtMob - Hendersonville, NC.
Oct 2023 - Astigmatism Mimesis - Curated for the Artrepreneur Gallery On-Line Sales
Nov 2023 - Hot Mic - Featured on the WTZQ local radio station website.
Nov 2023 - The Royal Proclamation - Best of Show and Division - Northern Light Gallery, Albuquerque, NM.
Dec 2023 - 'Stoneworks' exhibit at Hendo-One Gallery, Hendersonville, NC
Dec 2023 - 'Cross Currents '- Curated by Artrepreneur for their On-Line sales gallery
Dec 2023 - ARTIST OF THE YEAR - Northern Light Gallery - Albuquerque, NM
Dec 2023 - 'Exposed' - Impressionography.org - Year End Best of ICM exhibit
Jan 2024 - 'Eclipse '- Hendersonville Public Library
Jan 2024 - 'Eye of the Predator' - Cover Photo for Abstract Photography Facebook group
Jan, 2024 - D'Day Photographic Art book compilation...top 10 best-seller for individual artists in the Amazon bookstore. Peaked at #2.
Jan, 2024 - 'Moonlight Through The Forest' Gold Award - ICM Photomag Facebook Page
Jan, 2024 - 'Inside-Out' - Artrepreneur - Commercial-ready featured Image
Feb, 2024 - 'Amyloids' - Gold Award - Pure ICM Facebook Group
Feb, 2024 - Guest Speaker - ICMPhotography Facebook Community 'Abstract and Pareidolia Photography'
Feb 2024 - 'Newsprint and Plastic' - exhibit at Impressionography.org
Mar 2024 - 'Three Amigos' - The Story Begins exhibit. Tryon Painters and Sculptors Gallery - Tryon, NC
Mar 2024 - 'Three Amigos', 'Aura Between' and 'Tendonitis' - Blue Ridge Arts Center, Seneca, NC
Mar 2024 - 'Sandburg's Tree' - ArtMob 'Our Town' exhibit - Hendersonville, NC (sold)
Apr, 2024 - 'Gargoyle Ancestor' - Pick of the Week - Pure ICM Group - Facebook
May, 2024 - 'Chaos House' - Pic of the Week - Pure ICM Group - Facebook
June, 2024 -'Bouncing a Ball' - Abstract Whispers exhibition - Art Square NY
June, 2024 - 'Tendonitis' -Abstract Whispers exhibition - Art Square NY
June, 2024 - 'The Origins of Theobot's Word Salad' - Pic of the Week - Pure ICM Group - Facebook
July, 2024 - 'Hidden in Barbie Land'- featured in Rapid River Magazine - North Carolina
Aug, 2024 - 'Frog and Sunrise' - the Carolinas Photo Exhibit - Charlotte, NC
Aug, 2024 - 'Perils on the Road Less Traveled' - the Carolinas Photo Exhibit - Charlotte, NC 1st Place
Aug, 2024 -'Tendonitis' - the Carolinas Photo Exhibit - Charlotte, NC
Aug, 2024 - 'Collard Green' - Art of the Blur Exhibit - Praxis Gallery, Minneapolis, MN.
Aug, 2024 -'Perils of the Road Less Traveled' - First Place - The Carolina's Photo Exhibit - Charlotte, NC (sold)
Sept 2024 - ' Sunflowers' - Advertisement cover - Tryon Painters and Sculptor's Gallery 'After the Rain' Exhibition.
Sept, 2024- "Memories of Nixon' - Pic of the Week - Pure ICM Group - Facebook.
Sept 2024- 'Celestial Contentment' - Cover Photo - Minimalism as Zen Photography eMagazine.
Oct 2024- 'Orange Flower' - Magix 2024- 3rd annual international exhibition
Nov 2024 -'Turbulence' - Editor's Choice Award - Pure ICM Group - Facebook ICM Group
Nov 2024 - Creating abstract art with Studio ICM - Camversation.co.uk - an international webinar.
Nov 2024 - 'Orange Flower' - Artstonish Magazine, Issue 52 Nov 2024.
Jan 2025 - 'Midnight in West Texas' - Las Laguna Gallery (virtual) - Laguna Beach, CA.
Jan 2025 - 'Overactive Bladder' - Verium Ultimum Gallery, Portland, OR.
Jan 2025 - 'Before Spring Awakens' and 'Within the Permafrost' - Greer Arts Council Exhibit, Greer, SC (sold).
Feb 2025 - 'Within The Permafrost' - 2nd place PhotoArt Pavilion, New York. (sold).
Feb 2025 - 'Creating Abstract art with Studio ICM' - Presentation to PhotoClub 247, Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Feb 2025 - 'Rotational Reflection' - Honorable Mention - Beyond the Mirrors annual competition, NY, NY.
Feb 2025 - Featured Artist - Red River Papers (company selling fine art printing paper to photographers).
Mar 2025 - 'Deconstruction of a Corsage' - Edtor's Choice Award - Pure ICM Group - Facebook Group.
Mar 2025 - 'Studio ICM - a new approach to abstract art' - Photoclub247 webinar, Belfast, Ireland.
Mar 2025 -'Creating Abstract Art with ICM - Presentation of my work and processes - My Photo Club, London.
Mar 2025 - 'Studio ICM' - book signing - Art MoB Gallery, Hendersonville, NC.
Mar 2025 - 'Gateway to the Jungle' - Naturalist Gallery of Contemporary Art - Washington, DC
Mar 2025 - 'Time and Space' - Naturalist Gallery of Contemporary Art - Washington, DC
Mar 2025 - 'Eye Yie Yie' - Naturalist Gallery of Contemporary Art - Washington, DC
Mar 2025 - 'Welcome Back' - Naturalist Gallery of Contemporary Art - Washington, DC
Mar 2025 - 'Here Comes The Sun ' - Naturalist Contemporary of Fine Art - Washington, DC
Apr 2025 - Presentation 'Art and Science, Different, Complimentary, or the Same' - Tryon Painters and Sculptors 2nd Tuesday Talks, Tryon, NC
May 2025 'Time and Space' - Through the Lens of Time exhibit - Photo Art Pavillion, New York
June 2025 'Moonlit Garden' ,'Tendonitis', and 'Sonogram'- La Vie En Rose annual art gala, Marked Tree Vineyards, Flat Rock, NC.
June 2025 'Transient Ischemia' - Pic of the week - Pure ICM Facebook Group.
July 2025 'Moonlit Garden' - Naturalist Gallery of Contemporary Art - Dreams Exhibition - Washington, DC
July 2025 'Molten core' - Naturalist Gallery of Contemporary Art - Dreams Exhibition - Washington, DC
July 2025 'Moose, Dog, Chicken' - Naturalist Gallery of Contemporary Art - Dreams Exhibition - Washington, DC
July 2025 'Celestial Melody' - Naturalist Gallery of Contemporary Art - Dreams Exhibition - Washington, DC
July 2025 'Reverberations' - Naturalist Gallery of Contemporary Art - Dreams Exhibition - Washington, DC
July 2025 'Molten Core' (AKA Arterial Stowaway) Heat and Light Exhibit, PhotoArtfolio
August 2025 'Gateway to the Jungle' - Finalist - America's Favorite Photos 2025.
August 2025 'Moonlit Garden' - Featured Artist - Unreal 2025.
August 2025 'Blue Wire' - Merit award - Blue Exhibit - Gray Cube Gallery (online)
August 2025 'Tendonitis' Darkroom Spotlight Magazine - Featured Artist
September 2025 "Creature of the Deep' - Pic of the Week - Pure ICM Group - Facebook.
September 2025 Judges Choice Award of Excellence - 66th annual Art on Main Exhibition - Hendersonville, NC
October 2025 on-Liner Solo Exhibit - Naturalist Gallery, Washington, DC.
October 2025 'Emergence of an Alien Orb' - Pic of the week, The Pure ICM Group - Facebook
October 2025 'Controlled Camera Chaos' - Presentation for MyPhotoClub, London, UK.
October 2025 'L1 - L5' - Honorable Mention - GreyCube Gallery 'Grey' competition.
October 2025 'Sandburg's Tree' - Honorable Mention - GreyCube Gallery 'Grey' competition.
October 2025 - 'Moonlit Garden' - Featured Image, Abstractus Magazine 2025.
November 2025 - 'Tendonitis' - Featured Image, Magix, 4th edition
November 2025 -Art and Science - Different or the Same- Camversation.co.uk - an international webinar.
November 2025 - Creating abstract art with Studio ICM - Blue Ridge Arts Center, Seneca, SC.
November 2025 - Creating abstract art with Studio ICM - MyPhotoClub (UK) - an international webinar.
November 2025 - Creating abstract art with Studio ICM - Base Campo Photo Collective - an international webinar and workshop. Tahoe, CA/NV.
November 2025 - 'Perils along the road less traveled' - featured image - Darkrooms Spotlight Magazine Issue #1
November 2025 -'Hidden Spaces' - Honorable Mention - third annual 'Green' Competition - Art Room Gallery.
November 2025 -'Gateway to the Jungle' - Honorable Mention - third annual 'Green' Competition - Art Room Gallery.
November 2025 -'Perils', and 'Radiant Conch' - Featured Artist, NovumArtis, Issue #11
November 2025 'Sonogram of the Universe' - Index Page - Novumartis, Issue #11
November 2025 - Creating abstract art with Studio ICM - KCC Photos - an international webinar and workshop. Oxford, UK.
November 2025 - '31/Atlas Comet' - Lensculture Magazine
December 2025 - 'Luigi in Blue' - Finalist - London Camera Exchange 2025 Photographer of the year.
December 2025 - Creating abstract art with Studio ICM - Cleveland Photographic Society, Cleveland, OH.
December 2025 - 'Gateway to the Jungle' - Finalist - America's Favorite Photos.
December 2025 - 'Sprig of Green' Spot Award - Pure ICM Group (1 of 12 for 2025)
January 2026 -'Moonlit Garden' - Finalist Award - Shades of Blue - Camelback Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ.
January 2026 - 'Different Sun'- Pic of the week - Pure ICM Group Facebook
January 2026 - 'Cave Art' and 'Sonogram of the Universe' - Abstractics Journal Issue 001
February 2026 - 'Mask of Sadness' - Dreams And Visions Exhibit -- Southeast Center for Photography , Greenville, SC
February 2026 - C3 - Creating abstract art with Studio ICM - Find Your Voice Photographic Society, London, UK.
February 2026 - C3- Creating abstract art with studio ICM - Panelist - 11th annual virtual photography conference, Meredith Images.
February 2026 - Art and Science, Different or the same? - Panelist - 11th annual virtual photography conference, Meredith Images.
March 2026 - 'REM Sleep Demon' - Pareidolia Exhibition - Shadowbox Gallery, N. Chicago, IL.
March 2026 - 'Three Threes' -Chaos and Harmony, 2nd annual exhibition.
March 2026 - 'The Emotional Residue of Dreams' - #1 new release in Conceptual Art, Amazon Kindle.
March 2026 - 'Cave Art' - Finalist - Camelback Gallery, Abstracts 2026 Exhibit.
March 2026 - 'Trout in a Cold Mountain stream' - Image of the Week - Pure ICM Facebook Group.
March 2026 - C3 instruction delivered to the SouthEast Center For Photography National Conference.
April 2026 - C3 instruction delivered to the PolyChromer Collective - San Diego, CA.
April 2026 - 'The Dogwood Incident' - Image of the Week - Pure ICM Facebook Group.
April 24, 2026 - Exhibit Interview by WTZQ radio station - WTZQ Spotlight Interview
May 1, 2026 -"A Moose Walking His Dog While Holding a Chicken' - Bifarian's Annual juried Mega 2026 exhibit, Vancouver, Canada.
May 1-30, 2026 - 'The Emotional Residue of Dreams' - Solo Exhibit - Studio 116, East Flat Rock, NC
June 2026 - 'Coreopsis' - Image of the Week - Pure ICM Facebook Group.
June 2026 - 'Pareidolia and ICM' - ICM Photo Magazine - contributed article.
June 2026 - 'Moonlit Garden', 'Hidden Spaces' and others - Chaos Exhibition - Naturalist Gallery, Washington, DC
July 2026 -'Ambigbluity' - Image of the Week - Pure ICM Facebook Group.
July 2026 -'Cosmogenesis' - Image of the Week - Pure ICM Facebook Group.
July 2026 - C3 instruction delivered to the SWPhoto - Colorado Springs, CO.
August 2026 - 'Self Portrait' and 'Holden Beach' Blue Moon Gallery, Portland, OR
August 2026 - Guest Instructor - ICM Photo Academy - Norway
August 2026 - 'The Open Wound of Existence' - Breakout Post Achievement Award - ICMPhotomag Facebook group.
August 2026 - 'Self Portrait' - Surreal Exhibit, Chateau Gallery, New York.
August 2026 - 'Memories of Coreopsis' - Surreal Exhibit, Chateau Gallery, New York.
August 2026 - 'Beyond the Photo: A Creative ICM Workflow', Meredith Images International ICM Conference.
September 2026 -'Making Abstract Art With ICM' - Redlands Camera Club, CA.
September 2026 - Highlight Award - Abstract ICM Photography Facebook Group, UK.
September 2026 -Nekros' Engine - sold at auction to benefit the Blue Ridge Humane Society.
September 2026 -'Making Abstract Art With ICM' - North County Camera Club, San Diego, CA.
September 2026 - 'Art on Main' - Participant, Hendersonville, NC.
October 2026 - 'Nekros' Engine' - CEV Gallery, Phoenix, AZ.
October 2026 - 'Winter Moon' and 'Cave Art' - Celebration of the Arts Juried Exhibit - The Guild of Rutherfordton, NC.
October 2026 -'Nekros' Engine' - Finalist - Realms of Magic - HMVC Gallery, New York, NY
October 2026 - 'Lyssa's Rabid Fury Awakens' - Elements 2026, Vancouver, Canada.
October 2026 -'Beyond the Photo: Making Abstract Art With ICM' - My Photo Club, London, UK.
October 2026 - 'Carpo's Fading Warmth' - Image of the Week - Pure ICM Facebook Group.
In the news - 'ICM and Pareidolia' - ICMPhotoMag, June, 2026 Issue 25
In the news - 'The Dreams that Move Us' - Rapid River Magazine, May, 2026 Issue 345
In the news - Hendersonville Lightning - April 27, 2026
In the news - Review by Rate My Instagram - January 8, 2026
In the news at NovumArtis - November 18, 2025
In the news at PetaPixel - July 3, 2025
In the news at Tryon Daily Bulletin - April 9, 2025
In the news at Red River on Jan 2025
The D'Day Story - BlueRidgeNow Times News publications
The Process
Some links to Youtube videos that explain how I make my images