Sunriver Resort Lodge Betty Gray Gallery joins the Traditions celebration with Photography of the High Desert Region featuring photographers representing the Oregon Natural Desert Association and Bend photographer Dave Kamperman. The exhibition opens on November 20 and participating artists will attend a public reception in their honor on Friday, November 21 from 5–6:30pm in the upper gallery. The exhibit runs through January 4, 2015.
More than a decade ago, a group of self-proclaimed “desert rats” evolved the idea of a photographic collection dedicated to Oregon’s high desert. That annual collection, showcasing the high desert region’s astounding beauty, is now in its 11th year as the Oregon Natural Desert Association’s Wild Desert Calendar.
The ONDA 2015 Wild Desert Calendar debuts in the upper gallery with approximately 20 images from this and previous years’ calendars. Available at retail outlets around the state, including Costco in Bend and Powell’s Books in Portland, the calendar features photographers including Greg Burke, Jim Davis, Tyson Fisher and Christof Teuscher.
Jim Davis, one of the calendar’s originators, says he’s proud of the role it has played over the years in introducing others to the wonder of the high desert. “The calendar provides a way to show how spectacular these places really are. It’s the only collection of photography dedicated solely to the Oregon desert.”
Bend photographer Dave Kamperman also shows images of the high desert in the lower gallery. His move to Bend in 1983 inspired his transition from portrait imagery to landscape. He notes that the Northwest’s scenery, particularly that of Oregon, displays a diverse and remarkable beauty that he strives to preserve for future generations.
His passion for accurate representation leads him to continue the use of large format film which he feels surpasses most digital imagery in clarity, natural color saturation and resolution. He recently added photos printed on metal to his presentation.
Continuing through November 16 in the upper gallery is Abstractions, paintings in acrylic by Pam Jersey Bird of Sisters and mixed media by Justyn Livingston of Bend. The artists also draw inspiration from the beauty of the high desert but interpret that experience in non-objective imagery.
Sunriver Resort invites the public to the exhibition during Lodge hours. Billye Turner organizes the Sunriver Resort Lodge art exhibits with info at 503-780-2828 or billyeturner@bendnet.com