At a recent event I found myself next to a gal who was thumbing through a local wedding magazine admiringly. My first thought was,  “How thankful am I, not to be currently planning a party of that caliber.”

But then, of course, it also made me remember what a special day our wedding was to us and so many of our tribe. It all came back in a rush – every aspect of that complex organism that is a wedding: location, orchestration, production, family, wedding parties, guests, lodging, events leading up to the day, walking down the isle, having so many of your loved ones in one place, committing to your partner and celebrating with good food, music and friends afterwards. It was all so worth it.

With so many facets, how can it all be captured in one image – one vista that says it all? I’ve often thought that Mountain Montage would be an ideal venue for weddings and this couple illustrates the potential.

They were married on the banks of the Pacific in Bellingham with a picturesque sunset. Stephanie gathered some of her favorite photos from their wedding day and I was happily able to incorporate more of them than I anticipated into a 9″x12″.

Along with the image of the happy couple walking romantically into the sunset and old age together, I simultaneously captured their gait into their content future as one. I included the intimate black & white portrait of a gentle kiss to touch on the timelessness and commitment marriage brings.

Bridesmaid bouquets support the couple as they walk through life, just as our friends & family continue to support us as we all march forth. Flower adornments from their wedding cake feature prominently and playfully next to the lighthouse, while their stacked rings sit in a flower in the bottom corner and wrap around the edge of the work.

While we couldn’t include every aspect within the confines of this unique art piece, I hope that it was enough to forever remind Stephanie and Tim of their wedding day and the feelings that accompanied that singular occasion.

It also inspires me to tackle my own wedding – could be the perfect anniversary gift!

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As temps soared in the Tetons today, Elsa and I were spurred to run to the creek. As luck would have it, she fell asleep and I was able to go a touch further before I ran into a neighbor, immediately followed by someone else I needed to speak with – a serendipitous outing; however, after all these catch-ups, Elsa woke up. We decided to head back to the homestead to do some raking.

The corner, as we affectionally call the bend in the road nearest our house, was occupied by a couple I’ve seen together more than once – a raven & a magpie. While the actual birds flew before I could rouse my phone to capture them, I’ve borrowed some birds from the internet to complete my visual for you.

You’ll see by my near-done piece pictured below that I’ve had their conversations on my mind.

Spring, growth, signs, light, and migrating birds galore.

What do you think they’re talking about?

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This piece is a tribute and a compliment to Dan Powers. It was purchased in gratitude by the employees of the City of Driggs for a job well done at the end of Dan’s recent term as the Mayor of Driggs. Dan’s wife gave me a handful of photographs and cards, including their wedding program (upper right-hand corner) that she thought might work for the commissioned piece.

Knowing that Dan & Lynn are avid skiers and backcountry enthusiasts, it made sense to go with a winter theme. Living in Driggs has a variety of perks – but one, worth money at a lot of jobs, is being able to take a powder morning to ski. Don’t be deterred if the errand you’re trying to run doesn’t open until after 11:00 if there’s more than 6″ at Targhee. Unfortunately for city workers, government must go on — powder or no.

In honor of Dan’s dedication and sacrifices his employees felt compelled to send him with a parting gift of their appreciation. They presented it to Dan as he handed over the reins to the incoming Driggs Mayor Hyrum Johnson. Later, there was a celebration at a local establishment as Dan re-embraces the life of a powder hound. It was a great compliment to be approached for this occasion.

For All the Powder Days You Missed | 15″x30″ | mixed-media

Traversing the Tetons | mixed-media 

Traversing the Tetons speaks to the past and present of these timeless mountains. Whether coming upon them from the air, on foot, or horseback, a wanderer can’t help but be drawn towards their distinct skyline. They greet with awe from afar and delight upon closer inspection. Their glorious presence is accentuated by the national park that encompasses them and the Jedediah-Smith Wilderness that borders Teton National Park.

This mecca yields wildlife, views, contemplation, perspective, pure beauty, and numerous recreational activities. Take another step and imagine life on the frontier in the shadow of the Grand Teton. Summers would have to be lovely to make up for long winters in a high, rural valley. Adventure would have been around every corner and surely part of every season.

When we stop to reflect, like the wise old owl pictured here, it’s easy to understand the thrill butterflies feel during their few days of glorious life. However, we can’t help but know there’s a bigger picture at play.

This post is about 2 years too late, but since the subject matter recently surfaced again, I thought I’d finally get around to posting it and close the chapter officially.

The electrical box I painted said years ago was recently re-transformed after my techniques sadly did not stand up to the test of time and weather. It was a failed experiment — even more unfortunately, a public one.

However the artwork itself offered up a great summery of the area and it’s a shame it didn’t last on multiple levels.  So in a final farewell – it was pretty while it lasted. I’m only sorry it didn’t last longer:

Winter in Teton Valley

Teton Valley Summer

Spring in Teton Valley

Fall in the Tetons

Busy Skies

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Details:

Some of the weather conditions leading to the unveiling…

PS. I feel like I’ve seen electrical box covers in other cities that appear to be stickers. However, no amount of my Jedi internet searching skills have brought any such available product to the surface.

Any ideas?

This recent montage was put together for a friend whose sister was turning 60. This birthday gift incorporates the birthday girl at various ages and stages of life; dressed for an outing with her sister and her father in the fifties, playing in the sand with her sister as a young girl, and later lounging on the beach with her own daughters.  A lot to look back on as she breaches a new decade.

We were able to cover the bases of her immediate family by including a shot of the three sisters with their mother and one of she and her husband as well.  The one disappointment was that more family members couldn’t be incorporated into this 12″x16″ work. I do, however, feel like my work also caters to capturing place and that it is important to leave some space allotted to joining sometimes discontinuous places – the 50’s parking lot with the Atlantic coast, for example.

Creating these segues is often the crux of any piece and a challenge I enjoy taking on.  I always try to incorporate as many photos as possible, but my goal for the finished image is to express the feeling of looking back on the landscape of an experience.  Here’s hoping it was well received by the birthday girl herself.  Cheers!