Chasing Stories
All my life I have been a huge fan of stories, whether it be in the form of books, movies, listening to others tell their tales, or getting lost in my own daydreams. As a kid I wanted to be like Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn and float down the river on a makeshift raft, finding my own adventures. I stayed up way too late reading just one more chapter and got lost in drawing my own daydreams. As an adult I’m not so sure I’ve changed too much in that regard…
As a portrait artist my job is to help others tell their stories. I photograph children, families and seniors and love being able to show their interests, relationships and emotions within the portraits. I also enjoy getting out into nature and creating photographic art on my own time. I honestly believe that stories are everywhere and they help make our world feel a little bit magical. Sometimes the things we see in reality give away to something a bit more surreal. It is my intention in this blog to share some of my stories whether real, make believe or a wonderful combination of the two.
“So come with me, where dreams are born, and time is never planned. Just think of happy things and your heart will fly on wings, forever, in Never Never Land!” - Peter Pan
Adventure to Skull Rock Falls
The above image was created in 2020 and features a fantasy image of my son, Evan, and our dog, Luke. Evan and I both love hiking and while hiking we talk about all sorts of things including what could possibly be found around the next bend or if we went a bit further than everyone else. What if we went to the top of the hill to catch a view that looks different there than anywhere else?! What would we see?
Evan has always loved maps and is often our navigator. Don’t worry I have the GPS! But of the two of us he does seem to have the better sense of direction. So in this story Evan is the navigator and Luke is following along happy to be wherever his boy is. Luke is a Great Pyrenees/Great Dane mix and instead of running ahead of us on a trail he plods along just slightly behind, always watching and guarding.
The scenery in the background comes from Badlands NP in South Dakota. If you haven’t ever been you really should make the trip! There are many great views that can be seen from the park road and many animals to spot along the way.
Parts of the falls and the big rock in the foreground come from Falls Park in Sioux Falls, SD. We don’t live too far from Sioux Falls and have been to Falls Park many times. It’s kind of a citified park but beautiful none the less.
This image hangs in my son’s room and will hopefully remind him to always be curious about what lies ahead. The adventure and fun in life can often be found in blurring the lines between fantasy and reality. The road to that adventure often lies in simply being curious and letting your imagination roam!
