Thomas Coverdale has been photographing the west since the 1970’s. Coverdale has a degree in Chemical Engineering from UC Davis and an executive MBA from The Darden School of Business, UVA. He worked 26 years in the chemical industry, building and managing chemical plants, mostly in the hydrogen peroxide and soda ash industries.  After leaving the chemical industry he become a Professor of Economics and Management at Western Wyoming College, where he also taught chemistry and photography.  His chemical engineering training naturally led him to large format B&W photography and the mixing and using of usual and unusual developing and printing chemistry.  All of his early work was B&W images printed on silver paper in 16 x 20 inch size.

Coverdale has studied photography extensively with numerous instructors and mentors including Alan Ross, Bruce Burnbaum, Don Kirby, Stu Levy and Val Brinkerhof to name a few.

Coverdale came late to the world of digital photography as he resisted the change from classical printing to digital prints.  He retired in 2000, downsized, eliminated his darkroom and now travels the west with a Sony full frame digital camera. He prints his own digital images on Canson and Moab Papers and also shows metal prints printed by Pure Art Printer in St. George, Utah.

He prefers the classical B&W image for its strength in seeing a scene in terms of its basic elements. Line, texture, contrast and light dominate his works instead of color, vibrance and intensity.

Coverdale has shown his work sparingly. His most recent showing was at the Fine Art Center in Rock Springs, Wyoming. He lives with his wife Barbara in Mesquite, Nevada.