If I have made a way of 'seeing' my work, I have depended upon the one infinite Mind as the source of inspiration, enabling me to capture through photography the wonders of the visible world.
Bone's photographic journey began at Guildford School of Art in the early 1950s, under the guidance of influential figures such as Ifor Thomas (who established the Guildford School of Photography in 1946) and Alfred Lammer (Royal Air Force veteran and photographer). A formative period followed in Paris, training with renowned advertising photographer André Thevenet. This commercial success, however, proved ephemeral. The transformative impact of her travels through India, Sikkim, and Kashmir in 1958 – 59 led her to abandon commercial photography entirely, pursuing instead a personal artistic vision deeply rooted in introspection and experimentation.
What distinguishes Bone is her meticulous, almost meditative approach to photography. Long before digital manipulation became commonplace, she developed and refined analogue techniques —multiple exposures, layered transparencies, and composite images — to explore how photographs could evoke not just appearances, but sensations and memory. In doing so, she crafted photographs that blur the line between reality and imagination, images that feel less captured than carefully and thoughtfully constructed.
This relentless experimentation culminated in the groundbreaking film Circle of Light (1972), created in collaboration with filmmaker Anthony Roland, installation artist Elsa Stansfield, and electronic music pioneer Delia Derbyshire. Bone's still images were animated into a mesmerising sequence, underscored by Derbyshire’s ethereal electronic soundtrack. This innovative work was awarded first prize at the Cork International Film Festival and is now preserved at the British Film Institute (BFI) National Archive, with a copy held in the V&A’s National Art Library.
In 1981, Bone established a dedicated cibachrome (also know as dye destruction prints and ilfochrome) darkroom at her home in Dorking, marking a significant new phase in her artistic journey. This process enabled her to produce direct positive colour prints from transparencies, with extraordinary control over colour, light, and texture. She embraced intricate techniques, including lith printing and fabric overlays, creating distinctive works that straddle the boundaries between photography, collage, and painting. Key examples from this period, such as Larch Woods and Bryony Leaf and Summer Field Study One, highlight her commitment to technical mastery and visual poetry.
Bone’s later years were characterised by quiet reflection and preservation. She meticulously documented her methods and philosophies in two limited-edition publications, Wings of the Wind (2000) and Seven Doors: Finding Freedom of Expression Through Photography (2009). Both are now part of the V&A’s National Art Library, offering invaluable insights into her distinctive visual language and meticulous craft.
Bone’s photographs are more than aesthetic experiences – they embody an ethos of patience, care, and profound observation. As she reflected, “I rarely went out with a set image in mind. I preferred to move slowly, to be led by whatever the light or the landscape offered”. Her reclusive nature and adherence to Christian Science principles imbued her practice with a spiritual depth. As Anthony Roland noted, “Pamela’s visuals are as if they came from within her very being... the quality of spiritual discernment illumines her work”.
Pamela Bone’s thoughtful bequest to the V&A, accompanied by a fund to support the preservation and sharing of her work, ensures that her contribution to photography will continue to resonate. Her remarkable legacy not only expands our understanding of photography as a medium but also serves as a gentle reminder of the power of quiet contemplation and profound observation in our visually noisy world.
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