Mayor’s Award – 2014 Gasparilla Art Festival
On March 1-2, 2014, I exhibited at the Gasparilla Festival of the Arts. I was honored to receive the Mayor’s Award! The show was juried by Michael Komanecky, who is the Chief Curator of Farnsworth Art Museum. My photograph of Dead Lakes was selected and...2013 Disney Festival of the Masters
On November 8-10, 2012, I exhibited at the 38th Annual Disney Festival of the Masters, located in the famous Downtown Disney in Orlando, Florida. The weather was cool and windy, with huge crowds of people from all over the state and country. Many art patrons...Portfolio Magazine: Front Cover
For the April Issue of Portfolio Magazine, a lifestyles, interest, and leisure magazine based out of Naples, Florida, my of the Mykka River has been featured on the front cover. Further, my latest series, ‘Florida 67‘ has been presented on a ten page spread, along with my photo biography. Thanks to Bill Hemmer, the head publisher of Portfolio Magazine, for working on the layout and approaching me for publication.
Best in Show – Central Park Art Festival
On March 16-17, 2013, I was honored with a Best in Show at the Central Park Art Festival in Winter Haven, Florida. The show site is located in the Downtown area, shaded by oak trees over a nice grassy field. The weather was amazing; room temperature with clear...Best in Show – Boca Raton Museum of Art
On February 9-10, 2013, I was honored to be awarded my first ‘Best in Show’ at the Boca Raton Museum of Art Show at Mizner Park. I was thrilled, honored and humbled by the experience this weekend, competing with some of the best scultpures, photographers,...Fisheating Creek: Highlands and Glades County, Florida
For the past year, I’ve meant to paddle Fisheating Creek on several occasions, but it was always out of the way in whatever direction I was heading, or sometimes I was too exhausted or sunburnt at the end of a trip. The cool, spring fed river is known as a premiere paddle adventure to nature enthusiasts and a select group of elite photographers, but not well known to the general public.
1st Place: Disney Festival of the Masters
On November 9-11, 2012, I exhibited at the Disney Festival of the Masters. The art show was an absolute blast, one of my favorite shows ever. The crowds were enormous and patrons were here to see some serious artwork. The exhibitions is located at Downtown Walt...Lake George Trail: Silver Glen Recreation Area
After a long string of art festivals in late February 2012, I decided to take a break and scout several areas in the Ocala National Forest, carrying a water bottle, my Mamiy 7ii, and a couple rolls of film. One of my stops was at Silver Glen, located in Marion County, which has one of my favorite springs to stop for a relaxing swim. Juniper Springs has always been my favorite place in Ocala to photograph and kayak, with its majestic river run, historical sites, and twisting boardwalks. Alexander has a less interactive feel, but is perhaps easier to sit in the sun and relax.
Florida Keys Photo Trek
My new years resolution was to become more prolific this year and photographic in-between art festivals. Last year, I spend too much time printing and matting and not enough time shooting. When I photograph something new and create a print, I can display the first edition immediately watch reactions from judges and the general public alike, which has been a big help progressing as an artist and finding my audience.
The Florida Keys were the first of my adventures.
Big Cypress National Preserve, Fakahatchee, and Collier-Seminole
After visiting Sanibel Island in Captiva and Lover’s Key in Estero, Florida, I drove down the Tamiami trail for a day trip to visit the Everglades, namely the Fakahatchee Strand Preserve and the Big Cypress National Preserve. My goal here was scope out the area for a kayak trip I’m planning in January, but I did take a few nice photographs during a passing thunderstorm. The drive itself was beautiful and isolated. While the best view of the parks are in the swamp walks, the mosquitos made that impossible for this trip.
Dead Lakes Florida Conservation Area
For the Summer of 2011, I’ve been hard at work to develop my new ‘Florida 67’ series, canoeing and exploring Florida’s most unique waterways and ecosystems. At the end of June 2011, I spent 4 days in the Florida Panhandle, starting at Dead Lakes, then St. Joseph Peninsula, the Gulf Island National Seashore, and finally a quick stop at Torreya State Park on my way back to Orlando. While this started as a scouting trip for a later return, I ended up chasing thunderstorms instead to capture a more dramatic picture of Florida’s summers.