I am completely humbled that I have been selected as the Columbia Regional Visitors Center ”Artist of the Month” for November 2010. Photographic prints will be on display and available for purchase throughout the entire month of November at the Visitors Center located inside the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center (1101 Lincoln Street).

We are kicking things off with a happy hour drop-in on Thursday, Nov. 4, 2010. Please join us for beer, wine and light hors d’oeuvres from 5:30-7:30pm at the Visitors Center in the Vista.

If you can’t make it to the happy hour, I will be at the Visitors Center all day, so feel free to stop by when you have a moment. These photographic prints make unique Christmas gifts. To help you get started with your holiday shopping all prints will be discounted 10-25% from 8:30am-7:30pm on the 4th.

The view from the dock at Charles house on Mosquito Creek, near Bennetts Point, SC.

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to spend some time on the coast at one of my favorite places in the world, my friend Charles’ river house on Fenwick Island.  The best thing about Fenwick is that it is private, and with the exception of about 5 houses which are all owned by members of the Baldwin family, it is completely un-spoiled by the meddling of man.  Wild, un-touched, and completely cut off, this is the perfect place for me to get back in touch with my personal vision, explore, and have an adventure fishing off-shore, and have deep philosophical discussions with others much wiser than I.

The sun sets over Mosquito Creek on Fenwick Island, near Bennetts Point, SC.

Having the ability to create and share images like these, from places that most of the world will never see, and adventures that most will never have, has become one of the forces that drives my photography in recent months.  At one point in time, I had thought it was about just telling the stories of the people which inhabited these places, however, as I have seen so many places around me become over developed, mistreated, and forgotten my goals as a photographer have shifted.  With that thought, I have created the Coastal Print Collection over on my digital archive, and I invite everyeone to take a moment, and flip through the collection of images that are there already, and will be growing in the coming months.

Sunrise over Bennetts Point in Green Pond, SC, on Sunday, May 31, 2009.

Prepping the boat for off-shore fishing, as the sun rises over Bennetts Point in Green Pond, SC, on Sunday, May 31, 2009.

A Palmetto and Live Oak trees draped with Spanish Moss are silhouetted by the first light in the sky, as the sun rises over Bennetts Point in Green Pond, SC, on Sunday, May 31, 2009.

Finally, if you have a place that which is holds a special place in your heart, with natural beauty that may be in danger of disappearing all too soon, that you think I should visit, photograph, and spend some time exploring, let me know.  If I make my way there a signed print from what I find, could be on its way to you.

A political protester grasps a confederate battle flag, outside of town hall meeting at Seawell's, in Columbia, S.C., for Republican presidential hopeful John McCain.

The proceeding statement was the founding basis for my first fine art photography show titled “Symbology,” which contains 15 16×20 format silver halide prints, from editorial images which I have created over the past decade as a freelance photojournalist.

The show will run April 23-25, 2009, at the Columbia Music Festival Association located at 914 Pulaski St. in Columbia, SC. Click Here to View a Map. 

Symbology will open with a free reception on Art Night, Thursday, April 23, 2009 from 4-9pm.

The show will continue on Friday, April 24, 2009, with gallery hours from 11am-3pm, followed by a special performance from local rock band, All Walks of Life from 7pm-Until.  Tickets for the show are $5, and can be purchased at CMFA in advance or at the door.

Gallery hours will continue on Saturday, April 25, 2009 from 11am-3pm, and will conclude with a special talk, and question and answer session from 2-3pm.

For more information on Artista Vista, Columbia’s Premier Gallery Crawl, visit their website www.artistavista.com or Click Here to download a PDF gallery map.