Newsletter #157: July, 2018
© Chris Harris. All rights reserved.
Hi everyone,
It was exactly a year ago today, when wildfires swept across British Columbia’s central plateau changing life as we knew it, forever. Rita and I were evacuated for almost three weeks, but we were lucky; we did not lose our home as several of our friends did. The documentary which we often share with visitors here at our gallery is a commemoration of that event. It is available online at vimeo.com/ondemand/130118
This is the beginning of my 14th year writing these newsletters. It’s been one of the most rewarding aspects of my creative journey in photography. Enjoy.
Newsletter Contents:
1. Our Tallheo Workshop: A week of discovery and creative image making.
2. ‘Develop your Creative Vision’ Workshops: An inspiring experience in 2019 awaits you.
3. Photography…photography: Always exciting!
4. Parkside Art Gallery Exhibit: My latest work hangs in 100 Mile House! Please join us July 19th if you can.
-
Our Tallheo Workshop: A week of discovery and creative image making
It gives me great pleasure to share some of the image creations from a recent workshop. Dennis Ducklow and I ran our fifth 7-day workshop at the Tallheo Cannery Inn this spring. The cannery is a rustic retreat tucked up against the mountains at the east end of North Bentinik Arm near Bella Coola on the central BC coast. It was here at this historic cannery that a group of 10 photographers came to enjoy a creative week while acquiring a sense of authentic British Columbia coastal history.
It was an extraordinary week. What impressed Dennis and I the most, was their willingness to experiment, push visual boundaries, and seek new ways of expression. This transition is not necessarily easy, for it involves risk taking, and the possibility of failure. It’s a feeling all artists of every genre must embrace.
It was difficult to choose, but I chose images based on diversity of subject, style, creative technique, and my personal response to them. Enjoy this celebration; an interpretation of each photographer’s vision during a moment in time as they journeyed toward new horizons.
By choosing an expressive documentary style, Colleen truly captured the narrative of abandonment.
Katie peered into a window, and by using a new way of expression, saw a new reality.
With new creative techniques and a refreshed vision, Don was able to communicate how an old cannery building was returning to the ocean, plank by plank.
Being in a coastal rainforest evokes a strong emotional response. In this image, Lynda’s response portrays the forest as if it was dripping with moisture.
Bruce saw the drama between light and shadow as witnessed by a touch of colour. Captivating.
With a very strong sense of composition, Rob visually and emotionally took me into the ocean along a track that has a long history of taking boats there.
With just the right number of Foxgloves, Seamus uses a perspective and compositional style that captures his attachment to an old greenhouse.
Instead of seeing ocean and mountains, Wink related to line, shape, and contrast to turn an enormous scene into an intimate abstract.
Laura’s painterly photographic abstract evokes a very strong response in me. With an evocative colour pallet and sense of movement, I am drawn in, and captivated.
With extreme sensitivity, Bob captured his emotions around life and death (as it pertained to a close friend of his) in this small detailed inscape.
Dennis and I thank you all for your inspiration.
The above comments are based on my knowledge of the artist, any comments he or she made during the workshop, and my personal response to each photograph. Now, two weeks after the workshop, these images, and my interpretative thoughts about them, have taken me back along memory lane to a rich and rewarding life experience. Thank you all.
-
‘Develop your Creative Vision’ Workshops: An inspiring experience in 2019 awaits you.
Dramatic light fills the fjord in front of our Tallheo residence
If you feel you would enjoy a week of creative inspiration, consider joining our “Develop your Creative Vision’ photographic workshops in 2019. Through illustrated talks, visual assignments, art projects, and evaluation discussions, you will be encouraged to explore and embrace new visual paths of artistic expression. Visual design and new creative techniques are emphasized.
We all rushed to capture the light!
With encouragement and in-the-field support, everyone will feel safe to experiment, and learn from each other’s failures and successes. This is a very exciting and worthwhile process. One 7-day workshop in 1974 changed my life as a photographer; it might also change yours.
This workshop is taught by Dennis Ducklow and myself. Visit our personal websites along with the dedicated workshop website. We hope you will join us. We have a lot to share with you.
Capturing the coastal narrative
The central coast of British Columbia invites you to join us for a week of creative photography. It’s a life experience you will never forget.
-
Photography…photography: Always exciting!
What I look for the most and notice first in the world around me is ‘contrast’; either tonal contrast or colour contrast.
When Dennis and I arrived at the Tallheo Cannery this spring to teach our Develop your Creative Vision workshop, we immediately went for our traditional walk around the property to reacquaint ourselves and see what had changed.
When we entered the ‘net loft’, I was thrilled at what I saw (from a photographer’s perspective, not an owner’s perspective!). A winter storm had ripped off more of the tin roof allowing even more light to enter the building. It provided contrast extraordinaire! It didn’t take me long to get my camera gear and get to work.
Here are three images that help explain why Dennis and I are always so excited to teach photography at the Tallheo Cannery.
The ‘net loft’ in 2018
The study of light and shadow was stimulating
A fresh perspective of the observable
-
Parkside Art Gallery: An exhibit of my latest work hangs in 100 Mile House!
When Barb Brown of the local Parkside Art Gallery invited me to exhibit my latest work, and to display the new direction of my photography, I accepted with gratitude and a sense of honour to contribute to my community.
Beaver Valley
An exhibit of 30 prints were chosen to show the three groupings of photographic traditions in which I presently photograph; expressive documentary, free-form expressionist, and pure abstraction.
An article about the exhibit can be read in the 100 Mile Free Press.
Interior cedar
Reception: You are invited
On Thursday, July 19th, at 5:00 p.m., Rita and I invite you to join us at Parkside for a reception and a short artist’s presentation. Since publishing my last book, my photography has veered toward the latter two traditions mentioned above. I’ll speak to this transition at the reception. Please join us.
Red and black
Would love to be there for your reception at the gallery to celebrate fresh, new and inspiring photographic vision.
Thanks Dennis. Wish you were here too!
Always enjoy seeing new images of Tallheo. Brings back so many wonderful memories. Thank you Chris. See you in Sept.
Thanks Ruth. Looking forward to seeing you as well. Chris
That workshop looks amazingly wonderful. and excellent work from the participants. Well done all especially Chris. .
I love the wheel of inspiration…everyone inspiring each other. Thanks Bill and Mufty.
Thank you Bill & Mufty…always great to hear from you…inspirational!
as always Chris, your work is spectacular! I look forward to every newsletter-thanx always Helen
Thank you Helen. Always a pleasure to share! Chris
I really enjoyed your comments in this last newsletter, on students’ work. Inspiring. Thank you.
Thank you Ruby.Articulating what we are trying to communicate with our image making is a big part of our workshops; great to hear you appreciated that aspect. Chris