McGee Art Studio

Bernadine Belaski-McGee

Starting around the age of five or six, I probably saw every issue of National Geographic from 1964 - 1968. As a child I would spend countless hours and days studying the photographic images in this treasure of a magazine.

My Dad, who was the National Geographic subscriber in the family for years, was also a camera and 16mm home movie buff. My dad was a big influence to me, by sparking my interest in pursuing photography as my lifelong passion. Later to find out the truth of my passion was the hand of God.

As a child I started with a toy camera, with graphic images of clouds, rain, and sun for the camera settings; to a real film camera called Click O Mat, using a 126 film cartridge; and continually progressing in camera's and equipment.

Now, in recent years most of my photographic work is created on a digital Canon EOS 1D Mark II. For me photography is more than a job or career. It is something I do that I love, and feel passionate about. I started in a traditional photographic darkroom mixing chemicals, exposing photo paper to produce a latent image and processing in wet chemicals by swishing and agitating the trays while watching the miracle process begin.

I enjoyed using film, exposing through a enlarger lamp head onto the blank photo paper and seeing a non-existent image come to life as the image begins to appear from nowhere onto the surface of the paper. I was always so fascinated at the process and for me the thrill never got old.

One of my earlier group art exhibits I participated in, was called "Cow Show" held in Sacramento, CA. I chose to create a piece from two different black and white negatives. One image was of a couple of cows resting in a pasture, the other image was of the State Capitol grounds. I worked darkroom magic by dodging, burning and masking to make one black and white image from these two separate negatives. I titled this piece, "Dairy Lobbyist On Lunch". I hope the owner of that piece is still enjoying it to this day. I really enjoyed making that one of a kind piece.

Life with Bobby from 1988 until his death in 2008, through my eyes was extraordinary. My life with Bobby McGee first started in 1988 when he was the featured artist at a gallery where I was working at the time. First a friendship and working relationship had begun, and then about two years later we became husband and wife. We had such a grand time in the city. Living the lives of artists, filled with love, adventure and faith. Most of the time with our cameras in hand, we would have a ball spending our time with each other and exercising our creative talents. In some ways our life was wonderful and in other ways not so much.

Trying to turn his storefront art studio around in the Mission District was no easy task. As well as living there, we worked many long hours making plans together, being hopeful of our future. We transformed the storefront from an unruly artist studio hangout to a beautiful promising art gallery until one day the promise came undone.

The Loma Prieta quake hit and devastated our gallery leaving many wall cracks and holes from one end of the building to the other. We temporarily vacated the premises because the sights and aftershocks were just a bit too much. We stayed with family for awhile, then eventually headed toward the central coast for a better life.

To see About Bobbyclick this link About Bobby
To see About McGee Art Studio click this link About McGee Art Studio