Douglas Busch Sold at Auction Prices

b. 1951 -

Douglas Busch (born 1951) is an American photographer, inventor, teacher, and architectural designer known for his large-scale negatives and cameras producing some of the world’s largest "photographic Contact prints." His work encompassed an array of subjects, including landscapes, cityscapes, nudes, portraits, and color work with the wave series "Silent Waves." Busch’s architectural work has been published around the world along with his drought tolerant landscape designs. He has developed healthy housing systems and vertical herb and vegetable production systems.


Busch was born in Miami Beach, Florida to Jewish parents William Goldworn and Enid Gottlieb Goldworn. They divorced when he was 1 year old. His mother remarried Dr. Donald Busch who adopted Douglas and they moved to Rockford, Illinois where he finished Bloom grade school, Lincoln junior high, and Guilford high school. He was on the High School newspaper staff as a photographer his junior and senior years. He grew up with a sister and a brother. Busch enrolled at the University of Illinois and majored in Cinematography, Photography, and Graphic Design. He took part in the newly created Independent Study program at the University. He was president of the photo-cine co-op.
Career

Upon graduation Busch moved to Carmel, California where he worked as an assistant to Morley Baer. He assisted Ansel Adams on Portfolio VI washing prints and published his first portfolio in 1974-Portfolio I.He assisted his mentor, Al Weber on workshops throughout the Four Corners area. He moved to New York after marrying Marcia Chimberoff in Chicago in 1974. Busch took a job with Finlay Departments, a division of Seligman and Latz. He worked in the diamond department and then was promoted to assistant to the Fine Jewelry Department before the placed him in the Globe Store, Scranton, Pennsylvania, running the leased fine jewelry department. He received his diamond degree from the Gemological Institute of America, and later moved back to Rockford, Illinois to work in the family jewelry business, Busch Jewelers.

After the birth of their two children, in 1984 Busch separated from his wife Marcia and divorced soon after. Busch left the jewelry business to pursue his photography. He started the Golden Busch inc., a design and manufacturing company of SuperLarge™ cameras, lenses, film holders, print washers, and accessories.

Busch worked on many different photographic series within the next 8 years. He taught at the Victor School in Victor, CO for Al Weber and produced the Victor Portfolio of ten 12x20" photographic contact prints. He produced the Denver Portfolio, the North Central IL Portfolio and show at the Rockford Art Museum, Fallen Angels Project and show at 510 E. State Street Gallery.

Busch returned to the University of Illinois and spent a year in postgraduate study photography. He produced the Farmlands Project during this time. In 1992 Busch produced his first book-"In Plain Sight" and received the best book of the year from a small publisher award. During this time Busch was traveling through the USA and Europe doing visiting artist programs, teaching workshops, and lecturing.

Busch and his wife Lori started the No-Strings Foundation, a 501 (c) grant-making organization is based in Malibu, CA in May 2005. Its primary mission was to award monetary grants to individual photographers within the United States. Photographers whose work in the past and current works need to be recognized and supported.

Busch began to design and build houses at this time. He has completed over 30 projects to date, some of which have been published around the world. In 2009 he started ecoTECH Design Studio to design and build sustainable architecture and landscapes, to educate the public through the creation of ecoPARK, and design and build sustainable low carbon products to reduce waste and grow food.

In 2011 he started pH Living to produce healthy housing. Working with Lawrence Gust, a certified building biologist and Chairman of the Board of bau-Biologie and Ecology USA he developed a healthy housing system to help the Chemically Sensitive Community and as a healthier alternative for people in general. He spoke at Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne’s International Ninth Annual Forum of the In2:InThinking Network in April of 2010 on the importance of saving our planet for our children and future generations.