On February 25, 2005 at the age of 52 Charles Dennis passed away in Hillsborough, NC. Stricken with severe Rheumatoid Arthritis at age 19, Charles struggled each day for over 30 years to simply move and function. What delivered him from his daily pain and physical degeneration was an uncommon, life-long dedication to the study of black and white photography. Through this artistic journey, he compiled dozens of journals and work notes, studied the biographies of many black and white master photographers and stood for hours in his darkroom, against the advice of his doctors, in search of his exacting version of the perfect print.
By profession Charles was a commercial printer for over 25 years eventually becoming the president of his family?s printing company. Through this profession he also became an accomplished fine art, gravure printer. He spent hundreds of hours over 18 years studying fine printing techniques at the table of his company?s pressmen.
He met his wife Susan in 1978 and married her in 1981. In 1989 the joy of his life was born, a son, Sefton Charles Dennis. At the time of his death, Susan and Charles were married for nearly 24 years.
In May of 2001 he was stricken by a series of devastating heart attacks that left him paralyzed and bed bound. He suffered severe depression as he faced the final stages of his illness. Then, one day, his 12-year-old son came to him with a box of his negatives. He wanted his father to make him a print, but Charles told him that he could no longer develop and print in his darkroom. Filled with regret and sadness, Charles later thought about this and considered that he might attempt to scan one of his negatives and print an image from his laptop on his bed into his dilapidated Epson printer. Weeks later, hundreds of sheets later, dozens of ink cartridges later, a masterful first digital print was crafted to meet Charles? standards. Charles was re-born as a photographer, artist, and printer. His home was filled with joy and remained that way until the day of his death as he continued his work even hours before dying.
From 2002-2005, Charles worked tirelessly from his bed becoming increasingly frail; struggling to swallow, unable to move much more than his hands or fingers. With the help of his wife and friends, he cataloged over 10,000 negatives, mastered over 400 prints and generated hundreds of work prints.
In one of Charlie?s many journals he wrote:
?I have been given the gift of more time. How long my remaining time may be, no one knows. My adult life has been a suspended sentence and now I have been given one more reprieve. It is not about me any more. It is about the dream that is mine. The dream to leave a very small footprint of excellence. This is the force that refuses to let me surrender to my mortal limits.
When I am gone, may my images shine modestly in the light of those who have inspired me. ?
