| SKIP was published by Perceval Press and founder Viggo Mortensen in December 2005.
SKIP is a unique collection of images and words which tells the story of both my brother’s arrival in 2001 to the town of Driggs, Idaho, and the land that embraces him. Primarily a photographic monongraph, it’s also a kind of poem about a family’s dissolution and reintegration via nature and landscape.
Skip, born Lloyd Curtis Newsom, was the first born of 5 kids, to my parents, Joan & Buck Newsom, in 1948. As the book details, by the time he was one or so, it was clear he had a learning disability. My parents were never sure of it’s nature, but the suspected culprit is oxygen deprivation at birth. Long story short, those were dark times for both my parents- young and just starting out after World War II - and for care of the mentally ill and disabled. They tried to keep him at home for as long as possible, but as my sister grew up, Skip’s unpredictability and hyperactivity proved overwhelming. So he was moved to a state run facility in southern New Jersey and he spent the better part of his young life there. Without going into too much detail, Skip’s life in the facility was terrible. It wasn't until years later that the truth of his and other’s abuse was made known, and no doubt everyone did the best they could, but 17 years later, after my parents separated and my dad moved out, Skipper came back home to live in our New Jersey ranch house. Years went by, the kids grew up, and Skip stayed in Jersey. Eventually, after mom’s death, my brother and sister brought him to live in the small rural town of Driggs, Idaho, 3000 miles from his home. Over the last few years, I’ve shot him as we walked my family's’ properties, not doing much more than following the dogs, the long gravel roads, staring at clouds...being home, basically. As much a study in various mediums (35 mm VS 120mm Holga images), silhouettes and the drama of the land, SKIP nonetheless is also a testament to finding home, rediscovering family, and the beauty of my brother, Lloyd Curtis (SKIP) Newsom.
- David Newsom, March 2006
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