Ansel Dreamers Prevail
“Shade Maker” 10x20 photograph, framed to 24”. This was from a 3800 mile road trip that Graham and I took to New Mexico. Me for fine art images, him for images to paint on return. $980 at the studio gallery, not yet available online.
After joining the Professional Photographers of America in 1996, I discovered myself surrounded by what I called “Ansel Dreamers.” Professional photogs like myself that had an amazing collection of fine art images … Images that, like Ansel, might not be as well recognized in their living years.
Always an underdog supporter, finding it uncomfortable that most of the revenue generated by artists like Ansel Adams and Bob Ross work was after they passed and to sustain entrepreneurs more than themselves. To show them, financially that their incredible work was worthy.
Photography has been my passion since childhood, truly embodying the adage “Art Saves Lives.” It has given me purpose, worn out my passport, and led me to my ideal partner, Cathy, from New Zealand. She gave up the most beautiful homeland to merge families here in the US. I’ll always support her ambitions, especially her fiber arts.
I was inspired by two sources: National Geographic’s wonders and the depth of Ansel Adams’ images. This inspiration led me to seek guidance from Louis M. Ver Baere, a photography guru who moved from Chicago to Pendleton, Oregon, just to mentor me (so I selfishly felt - but hey, had him to myself for 3.5 years of hands-on education). Lou suggested I put people in front of my scenic images, which rebranded my work as Studio B Photography, allowing it to thrive through the Great Recession and COVID.
My five b&w submissions, plus one of the color options I decided to hold out…
During the pandemic’s mandatory closure, I suddenly found myself assessing the trajectory of my photographic career, realizing that I had just been gifted the time I was seeking to put into my original vision. To create a gallery to represent the work of other artists, as well as my barely-known body of fine art images … a collection that had only grown because of my international travels in my career as an event and portrait photographer.
I suggested to my friend Graham Salisbury that I represent his new on his new-found direction of artistic expression. His award-winning career of writing historical fiction, mostly for young readers, produced 20 books. I watched him apply the same level of effort to his painting, as he did to his writing. A trait that earned him a Scott O’Dell award for his most famous title “Under the Blood Red Sun.”
With his permission I began capturing his paintings using double-polarization photography … a lighting technique for capturing 2D (flatwork) that allowed for a recent sale of a 60” litho of “West of the Moon” to an art lover in Michigan. Printed on 100% museum grade cotton replica rivaled the already-sold original and clearly flattered the humble artist. Win/Win/Win!..
As 2024 began, I committed to focusing on my original photography passion. After 22 years, I decided to enter an upcoming professional international print competition, revisiting my “Ansel Dream” with black and white images. I displayed 11 of my favorites at the Lake Oswego Festival of the Arts, earning an award and the encouragement I needed to embrace print competition once more.
About those “junkers…” - Salisbury Paintings are officially Award-winning! Graham received a blue ribbon at this same festival when he entered in 2022. Because, as he says… “I don’t need the money, I want them to be approachable/affordable for any art lover.” This original is now for sale at a very modest price!..
I abruptly stopped entering competitions In 2002, to apply the teaching of Dr. Wayne Dyer. He advocated the teachings of Abraham Maslow regarding Self-actualization. I echoed the mantra of this teaching, deciding to “become independent of the good opinion of other people.” A principle that flew in the face of competing, when all I wanted to do was create.
Years later I employed the services of a business consultant. A few weeks in he told me I was doing everything right but challenged me about displaying my awards. “Why are these in a box?.. Get them out here and educate your customers on what makes your work stand out to judges.” I joke that I spent $5k to be told to empty a box. (kidding of course), but the package would’ve cost me double that if I wasn’t a systems junkie … saving him much time and counseling because I knew my numbers and was already tracking them.
More awards or not, each image I present holds a priceless memory. That’s great enough for me, but since only 2% of the festival 1000 entries were ribboned, I figured it was worth sharing this black-and-white, “Nod to my roots” - five, very simple B & W images.
Rather than entering the 11 prints I payed to display, I pulled the six color images, deciding instead to just keep it simple … a great challenge for me that turned out to be rewarding.
