Jayme Odgers has passed away this week. He was the first “Photographer-Designer.” Highlighted in an article appearing in GRAPHIS magazine in the late 70’s, author Horst Staubach coined the term and Jayme Odgers’ work was featured as an example of this new breed of creative. An avid fan of GRAPHIS, I read that article and decided that was how I needed to position my commercial photography studio. Naming it Photographic Design Studio, it was the keystone moment of a 20-year career choice. 

Ten years later I was teaching in the commercial photography program at a local college. I took over the director position of the school’s photography gallery and made the decision to emphasize photography from both an artistic and graphic design standpoint. 

One of the artists I featured was Jayme Odgers. His work was unique, and challenged the lines of painting, fine art photography and graphic design. His quote “I paint what I cannot photograph, and I photograph what I cannot paint” explains the multi-art elements and homage to art movements emphasized in the exhibit. 

Personally, I feel the loss at a most immediate level. I had just spoken with him a month before he passed seeking an interview. He had recently launched a website of his work. I found it exciting that an 82-year-old man would decide to go public where he had been a recluse by most successful artist standards. . 

Unfortunately for the art and design world, the interview never happened.  

 Unfortunately for me, I did not get a chance to speak with him just one more time

He had encouraged me in my artistic quest, identifying similarities in some pieces he had done. The use of typographic elements, tableau settings and complex combinations of disparate elements. Not to everyone’s taste. He advised me not to worry about reactions to the imagery. He explained it would work out the more I continued. Artistic endeavors are difficult when new; and then familiar after some time distance from the actual creation efforts. I did not know Jayme well. But I knew his soul and will miss his presence on earth, just the same.

Below are images from the catalog for the exhibit at Santa Monica College Photography Galley