(originally posted 6/26/12)

Last weekend was the Festival of the Arts show in Lake Oswego.  This show has been running for 49 years so far and it keeps getting bigger and better each year.  This is the 3rd year I’ve participated in the show and the quality of work was amazing.

I submitted 3 pieces to the “open” portion of the art show, where average folks can bring their art to display/sell.  It’s a wonderful opportunity for those who want some exposure, yet aren’t fully committed to buying booth space.  Generally the open section has a very diverse assortment of art…all types of mediums and all levels of quality. The open section is judged by experts in the field and awards are presented to deserving artists.

This year though, the quality and quantity of art was amazing!   There were over 1900 pieces in the open section, everything from photography (of course) to pastels, oil paintings, colored pencil drawings, sculpture, and everything in between.  Each piece on display was of a quality I’m not used to seeing at an open show.  There sure are a lot of amazing artists in the Portland area!!!

This year I had a “theme” going…..wood.   I submitted 3 images that had wood in them.  One of my favorites I entered was The Power of Three (here) which is an intimate nature image showing three tree trunks emerging from the water and an incredible reflection of the trunks and yellow leaves on the surface of the water.  One of my other current favorites is Twisted (Here), which is a close-up shot of an amazing root ball from an ancient bristlecone pine tree.  The texture, color, vibrance and motion in the image are incredible. 

And lastly, I submitted a piece titled Bristlecone Bulge (here) which is a black and white image of a knotted and twisted Bristlecone pine tree with a fantastic rocky foreground and a sky dotted with puffy clouds.  This is an image I’m quite proud of (very few things to nitpick about it lol) because of how it is executed, the subject matter which is so inspiring to me, and the overall presentation of the image.  

I was rewarded with an Honorable Mention for Bristlecone Bulge in the color photography category.  (second year in a row I’ve received Honorable Mention)

I don’t photograph to get ribbons, I photograph for myself. Period! Having others appreciate and perhaps recognize my work is icing on the cake.

Bristlecone Award