It's hard to believe that almost 2 months have passed since RMSP graduation. I'm still busy working on getting my photography business venture up and running. It has been a busy time between hunting season and the Thanksgiving holiday. Although we had very little snow and the hunting was challenging, I spent two weeks in the field. The first trip was in the beautiful coulee country surrounding the junction of the Marias and Missouri Rivers east of Great Falls in the Loma area. The second trip was close to Phillipsburg as we were based out of the Copper Creek Campground and hunted the ridges surrounding the Middle Fork of Rock Creek. My plans to put some quick meat in the freezer and focus on photographing the rest of the experience didn't quite work out. I took very few pictures, but did take notes that should prove helpful next year. We scaled some steep peaks in search of elk which was physically challenging. I'll need to be in better shape next year and also need to downsize the amount of equipment to minimize weight. With the unseasonably mild weather, I saw quite a few fisherman floating the local rivers. Maybe I should have focused on that instead.
This Friday is a big day for my fledgling career. One of my photographs was selected to be part of the Juried Exhibition at the Gallery Saintonge in Missoula, Montana. It is a big honor for me as there were 546 submissions from across the nation and Canada, and only 37 pieces, including 29 artists were selected for the exhibit. My piece was part of a series of photographs I took with the intent of recreating the feel of antique botanical text plates. The exhibit begins during the normal monthly Missoula First Friday event where studios and businesses open their doors and often provide free food and drinks in order to encourage the local community to support the arts.
My work is titled Eustoma grandiflorum 3 and is a studio shot of lisianthus. You can view it and the work of the other 28 artists at the Gallery Saintonge, 216 N Higgins Ave, Missoula, MT from December 5, 2008 through January 10, 2009. Wednesday -Friday 11-5 and Saturday 11-4.
