Near and Far

I am a believer in Community to support our fine art photography. So I’m excited to shout out the progress of others that I have seen grow in their art.

Thus I want to rave about Jim Smart’s induction into the National Park Service’s Artist in Residence program and his first show which will debut on 23 January at ‘The Desert Light Gallery’ in the Kelso Visitors Center of the Mojave National Preserve. Titled, Near and Far, this is an exceptional body of work that explores the relationships of large geologic mass in the Mojave to the small details.

Jim explores the desert with tight focus and pushes the edges of our understanding through quiet monochromes, which strip the desert of its color and leave us massive forms in a wide range of muted tones. In some images, we see familiar shapes that conjure up images embedded in our memories such as his Eels in Stone and Elephant Rock. These scenes and others while fully descriptive of memory images, place and landscape also present an abstract and hallucinatory edge. Near and Far hangs on Saturday January 23, in the morning and Jim will be around all day. His reception is on the 24th at 1 PM. I encourage everyone to attend.

And it is with great pride that I note that Jim has been a student in our Calumet/Bob Killen Fine Art Workshops. I am delighted to see one of our own grow and achieve gallery recognition. We wish Jim Smart continued success and a broad audience.

And finally Bob's Rant's and Craves will be leaveing Google Blooger for Word Press soon as they are more image friendly. Watch for a notice within the next few days.

Bob