31 Oct Stephenson Showcase: The View/My View
Michael Jack considers himself an explorer and lifelong learner, but he is also an incredible local photographer who is full of stories to tell. His love for the Palouse region of Washington State–a location Jack has deemed as either a bucket list destination for photographers or an unknown name and location to those unfamiliar with it–has proven to serve as the inspiration behind much of the work he has produced since retiring from his career as a Corporate Controller in 2008.
Upon retirement, Jack was able to fully shift his energy to photography; now a well-recognized landscape photographer, the elegant lines and natural light and shadows exhibited in his work can be appreciated in many galleries.
As he has continued to refine his craft, the artist has found that upon returning to a favorite location, weather conditions change, the environment changes, and his vision changes.
“As a landscape photographer, I am inspired by the immense variety and beauty of landscapes across the US,” says Jack. Because of this, he is constantly working to expand his portfolio and improve his impressive photographic skill.
However, it is the unique topography, grain elevators, quaint picturesque towns, isolated farms, abandoned structures, and old farm trucks scattered across the spectacular panoramic vistas that keep Jack coming back to the Palouse. A region that has been called “America’s Tuscany,” the Palouse serves as the primary inspiration behind Jack’s upcoming exhibit, The View/My View.
“In late May and through the June time periods, shades of green cover the Palouse, punctuated by the yellow flowers of canola during parts of June,” says Jack. “Later in August, the Palouse is covered by golden waves of wheat and barley. Harvest starts in mid to late August providing images of huge combines, specifically designed to cope with the rolling hills, leaving tracks through the remaining gold colored stubble.”
The View/My View will be a story of the area, showcasing some of the beauty as well as some of the deterioration resulting from the consolidation of farms. In addition to the Palouse, Jack will showcase a few of his favorite images from other locations.
The full The View/My View exhibit can be seen in the Stephenson House November 3 through 25, Wednesday through Friday from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. You can meet Jack during the November First Friday event from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. on the Noblesville Creates campus or at his free public reception on November 25 from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. in the Stephenson House.
