Todd Breitling

Photographer & Painter

Originally from Wayne Pennsylvania, Todd began exploring creative ideas in the great outdoors during childhood. Mostly these explorations took place in his grandparent’s backyard. Here this curious boy found a wealth of rhododendron covered woods, crayfish filled creeks, and stagnant frog filled ponds begging to be explored. Not long after he began dabbling in photography to document his discoveries. Fascinated by the passage of time, the camera enabled him to slow down and capture those fleeting, intimate, once-in-a-lifetime moments that call to him so he can share them with others.

His love of nature led him to the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains and Lynchburg College in Virginia, where he earned a degree in communications. The creative seeds planted years earlier began to grow here as he became more enthralled with exploring the outdoors and photographing the play of patterns in light and the depth of colors. His eye for colors and the way they mix and interact with each other led him to create intricate abstract drawings mimicking patterns in nature. Those early drawings and their play with colored patterns ultimately laid the groundwork for the works you see here today.

After graduating from college, Todd took a job as a traveling portrait photographer. His travels often led him to Philadelphia where he discovered a whole new universe of city lights and textures to explore and photograph. One day while trudging back to his car in the rain he noticed oil leaking from a car engine and the resulting slick it produced on the wet pavement. He was entranced by the intricate shapes and multitude of colors. Seeking to find more of these unique and fleeting patterns and shapes became his obsession. After it rains, Todd can often be found in parking lots and streets with his head down and camera in hand. The images he captures from these parking lot saunters reveals tremendous beauty to him. These fragile and delicate patterns do not last long so it’s important to him to capture and share these moments with the world.

Todd has over 85 photographs in his “Oil on Pavement” series to-date, many of which are currently on display in galleries in Delaware. In addition to his various photography endeavors, Todd is also an accomplished, self taught painter. Most of his works are what have been termed “Organic Abstraction”. These works are a study in lines and the space they reside in with regard to contrasting colors and the dimensions they create. Several of these paintings derive from his earlier work with drawings in pen and pencil. Todd’s paintings have also been displayed in various galleries and venues in Delaware.

For a sample of more of Todd’s work please visit his website at www.toddbreitling.com