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Fall Fantasy Panorama

I must apologize for being absent for the past month. July and August are the only times of the year that I’m truly “busy” and when these months arrive I’m not as organized as I seem the rest of the year. Plus, when it’s warm and the weather is nice it’s tough for me to get excited about sitting at a computer with a picture window five feet away. Oh, and there was a week of teaching photography classes every day with the Crested Butte Wildflower Festival. So I’m not without my excuses!

But, here I am again. This weekend is the annual Crested Butte Festival of the Arts and I’m thrilled to be invited back to show and sell my photographs. Each year I try to show a few new images and the one above, “Fall Fantasy” is new this year. I have been reluctant to print this one because there isn’t a clear “subject” or focal point. I captured this scene last fall and after revisiting the photo over the winter and spring I’ve decided that I still like it despite its alleged shortcomings. Actually, it’s that “shortcoming” that I like. I’m trying to give myself permission to like some new approaches to old images. I have lots of photographs that don’t have a particular focus point or subject. Not all of them are necessarily successful. Some are. Over the years I’ve gotten away from printing these types of photographs for lots of reasons. Most of the reasons are purely commercial. That’s a problem! Not presenting an image simply for the reason that a gallery doesn’t have space or that an image wasn’t created using the same formula that my other images enjoyed is not a good enough reason to abandon new viewpoints. In fact, I think the opposite is true…within reason.

The fact that an artist has an apparent “style” may be reason enough for that artist to try something different. Our sanity demands it. Every experiment isn’t destined for success. But some are. If we don’t try new approaches and techniques we are doomed to become stale. Although there are lots of financially  successful “stale” artists most of us don’t set out down that path on purpose. God knows I haven’t achieved that level of “staleness” yet. And I hope I never do.

So, if you can, drop by booth 48C on Elk Avenue in downtown Crested Butte this weekend and support at least one artist trying to stay out of his “box”. Support doesn’t even require a purchase. But those are greatly appreciated. Here’s another new image just for tolerating my rant.

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Fire In The Grove

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