JoSon

Artist Biography

joSon (jo-shon) was born in the Philippines to a Filipino-Chinese mother and an African-American father. At the age of ten, he was sent to live with his mother's family in Vietnam, where he was educated in a Buddhist temple throughout most of his teen years in preparation for becoming a monk. "I thought that was my calling long before I saw life through the viewfinder,' joSon continues, "-but the truth is, I have never left the monkhood. I just left the temple. You can see that very clearly in my work today in a landscape, a portrait or a flower - meditations on the beauty to be found in the simplest of forms.'

After spending a few summers in the United States, he settled in San Francisco where he received his Master of Fine Arts Degree in Photo-Illustration from the Academy of Art University. His earlier desire for calm and tranquility, his humor and fun loving approach to life are clearly reflected in his images to this day.

joSon explains: "I do not like to simply document my subject, but rather bring it to life in my photography… and Mother Nature has the best subjects to inspire my passion.” His black and white travel images of exotic landscapes reveal the timelessness of the land that we have long forgotten. Describing his recent photo exploration of Asia, joSon notes: "as Asia becomes more modern, skyscrapers and shopping malls are the landmarks of the future. As I travel, I try to search for its past and hope to document the people, the lands and the culture that still hold its secrets.”

JoSon Art, Prints and Posters Collection