Milky Way & Ocotillo
I have not posted for a while, but I got to tell you that 2022 and especially the month of February [so far] has been incredible!
First, my Milky Way & Ocotillo in B&W won the People’s Choice in the annual Anza-Borrego Foundation Photo Contest. After 2 rounds of voting and then the final judging, the image is now on display at the Borrego Art Institute in Borrego Springs until the end of the month. The image was taken only a few miles from the Borrego Art Institute, at Fonts Point, where I camped out in my car on a very clear night to capture the Milky Way, so it’s a fitting place for it to be exhibited. I attended the opening reception of the exhibition in Borrego Springs, and it was great to rub shoulders with so many talented photographers; I’m so proud to be part of it.
During my visit to Borrego Springs, I asked the Borrego Art Institute store if they might be interested in the notecards I handcraft and now sell on Etsy. I was able to show them some local samples I had, and to my delight, they thought they would be good additions to their store. So, this weekend I’ll be delivering a carousel of 160 Anza-Borrego and Salton Sea notecards that I recently handmade for them. All proceeds from the sale of my notecards will be shared with the Borrego Art Institute, and even though that’s a small gesture in the scheme of things, I am proud to support the gallery. If you’re in Borrego Springs, please take the time to visit and view the ever-changing exhibitions and support their efforts.
In addition to the great things mentioned above, and to take February to another level, the Milky Way & Ocotillo in B&W was also selected by GuruShots for digital exhibition as one of the winners of the B&W Photographer of the Year challenge at the Agora Gallery in New York. The image will be on digital display until the end of the month, and I’m grateful to everyone who voted for it and helped it become part of this exhibition.
But wait, it doesn’t stop there. This month I took a huge step forward and secured space at a local art gallery, the Adore Gallery in Encinitas, CA, where some of my metal prints will be on display. And although I feel a little vulnerable having my photography on display for all to see, I am hoping to learn a lot from the experience. One thing I learned straight away was how much effort goes into preparing for a gallery exhibition. From selecting the images, production, writing a bio, creating labels, determining a price, designing a layout for hanging the images so they look coordinated, and so on. In addition, hanging the images, which I did myself, takes longer than you might expect, especially if you want to ensure everything is aligned and evenly spaced.
Anyway, I am pumped that Feb has been an extraordinary month for me, and it gives me great encouragement to keep pushing forward with the photography. I’m excited to see what else 2022 might bring and hope you’ll follow me on my journey.
