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Raymond Van Tassel, Artist/Photographer of Aesthesia

A dancer’s arch, laughing children, capricious sunset colors and the desire to capture life’s joys are the driving forces behind Raymond Van Tassel’s photography.
As a Sufi Raymond strives for the love, harmony and beauty in his work as an invocation, “Towards the One”
Since 1974 Raymond has been focusing art and music through his camera lenses. Raymond experienced a new world in the 60s, a world that involved all the senses. He saw the psychedelic bright colors of the Haight Ashbury and heard the sounds of the music of the Jefferson Airplane, Janis Joplin, Ravi Shankar, Grateful Dead and Jimi Hendrix at the Fillmore, Avalon Ballroom and Winterland.He danced the dances of Universal Peace, as taught by Sufi Ahmed Murad Chisti “Sufi Sam” inspired by the great dancer Ruth St. Denis. All of this coupled with living in San Francisco a multi-cultured city of every ethnic culture on the face of the earth opened his eyes to see many possibilities. This was a new beginning for him, and continues on to today.
In the early 80’s Raymond photographed at the Sweetwater in Mill Valley, Ca. He was the associate producer of the Tribute to Bill Graham (1984). During the same period, he produced entertainment for the Sausalito Arts Festival and organized entertainment, parades and public relations for Sausalito July 4th Celebration. He was the associate producer for the Noe Valley Music Festival in San Francisco (1994- 1997) In recent years Raymond has been photographing dancers and musicians, as well as traveling all over North America, Russia and Turkey photographing, celebrating and imprinting the rich cultures of our world into his portfolio for all to enjoy.

You can view my photography at: raymondvantassel.com/ .

Dance, as though no one is watching,
Love, as though you've never been hurt before,
Sing, as though no one can hear you,
Work, as though you don't need the money,
Live, as though heaven is on earth. ~Rumi~