Kurt Weston

Huntington Beach, United States

About the Artist:
Kurt Weston is an accomplished photographer with fifteen years experience in commercial art. His powerful and thought provoking photographs are exceptionally inspirational when viewed with respect to his biography. Weston graduated with an honors degree in photography from Columbia College (Chicago, 1985) and soon after established himself as a fashion photographer. During the mid-eighties and early nineties his photographs appeared in hairstyle and beauty publications throughout the world. For several years he was the sole photographer for the internationally distributed Design Forum and exclusive photographer for Pivot Point International. Weston earned a notable reputation for his visual aesthetic and technical mastery of lighting for the hair and beauty industry and produced advertising for companies such as Helene Curtis, Clairol and Matrix.

In 1991 Weston was diagnosed with AIDS and in 1996 became legally blind due to AIDS related Cytomegalo Virus (CMV Retinitis). His visual loss was exacerbated by macular edema and cataracts caused by experimental medication used to treat the CMV retinitis. Weston's limited visual acuity (light perception in his left eye and limited peripheral vision in his right eye) permits him to view the world as if it were an impressionist painting. After working for several years on the fight against AIDS, Weston lost most of his friends and almost succumbed to the virus himself. He was thrust back into the art world when he agreed to photograph the successful 1999 Asian Pacific Dreaming Calendar as a benefit for a local organization. With visual assist devices obtained through the California Department of Rehabilitation, he was able to photograph the entire calendar. The completion of the calendar prompted an inspirational article in the Los Angeles Times (November 30, 1998). Weston has since realized his lifetime aspiration of being a career photographer.

Having successfully completed programs at the Braille Institute, the Davidson Program for Independence, and the Self Employment for the Enterprising Disabled Institute, Weston was able to obtain grants through the California Community Foundation, The Department of Rehabilitation and The Dream Envision Foundation to purchase photographic equipment for his own darkroom.

Weston is extremely involved in his community as a board member of the Orange County HIV Planning Council; the Aids Service Foundation Client Advisory Committee; and VSA Arts. Weston is also the founder of Surviving with AIDS Network and the Therapeutic Nutrients program at AIDS Service Foundation, Irvine, CA.

Weston does not feel victimized by his struggle against AIDS and legal blindness, but rather uses these experiences as an opportunity to create inspirational photographs.