I believe that beauty and Grace are all around us, every day. The camera helps me to really see things that I often walk past without seeing. By seeing beauty, symmetry and grace right where I am, I experience wonder and feel closer to my God. I experience this Grace nearly everywhere. In the patterns and colors of leaves on the ground or how the light and shadow play on the mountains. I feel that beauty, that reflection of Grace, is out there, perhaps not everywhere but in many places, happening so often that I only need to welcome it, be open to it for me to receive that Grace. Mark Nepo says "In keeping the center of the I empty, the miracle of life can enter. Art Wolfe, renown landscape photographer says, "Do not shoot with prejudice". I translate that to mean do not go looking for fish in the forest. There is much sage advice down the ages about not deciding before you see or hear. This photo is a good example of my belief that beauty in art and moments of grace happen constantly as a daily possibility. The day of this photo, I had driven many miles to photograph a famous waterfall and was returning home. I stopped near an orchard because of how the sunlight limned as a glow in the branches and leaves. I had already taken some very fine pictures of the waterfall and could very easily call the day a success, yet I stopped. I took some wonderful pictures of the light in the autumn leaves and, as I turned to leave, happy, I looked down. For this I am grateful. Please leave a comment to let Gray know what you think of his creative practice! To see more of Gray's photography, click here or visit him on Facebook. (GOG)
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It is an honor the be a part of the Garry Oak Gallery where a number of my works are displayed. This moon sculpture, that I am working on, is at the top of a 9' tall wood sculpture titled "Sailor's Moon". Hidden behind the moon is a mermaid riding on a whale. This is what the sailor is dreaming of as he sails across the lonesome sea. This is part of the series that I have been doing where the man in the moon is on one side and something else entirely is hidden on the other side. Please visit my website to see photos of my art and to learn more.
Thank you, Pat McVay www.mcvaysculpture.com
My current display in the gallery consists of a mix of local scenes (Coupeville, Oak Harbor, Deception Pass) and scenes from a recent RV trip my wife and I took. We were on the road for two months exploring the American West as far as the Mississippi River and Great Lakes. Along the way we had no real destination in mind, instead following our inspiration and stopping to visit many National and State Parks along the way. This style of travel is very freeing - no deadlines, no rush to get to any particular destination. Our motto in our little RV is “We’re already there.” This allows plenty of time for me to practice my craft - I can wait for the best light in a given location instead of just taking a quick snapshot and hurrying on. I’ve always thought it would be wonderful to spend a year in certain National Parks, capturing the essence of the location in all seasons of the year. But enough background - let’s take a look at some of the images I currently have on display in the gallery and I’ll tell you the story behind each of them.
Images of the American Modern West - Part 2 - Soon to come!
Stay tuned for our first artist's blog post. Please feel free to leave constructive comments and questions. If your questions relate to one of our artists, they will be relayed and responded to within a week. Thank you for visiting our blog! ~Garry Oak Gallery
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Behind the ArtOur artists share their experiences in creating their works of art. Comments and questions are welcome! Archives
April 2019
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