Phil Bard: American Desert

February 6th -28th
First Thursday Feb. 6 until 7:45PM
Reception and Artist’s Talk Saturday February 8th 1:30-4PM
Artist’s Talk at 2PM

Augen Gallery
716 NW Davis St
Portland, OR 97209
Tuesday-Saturday 11-5PM
503 546-5056
augengallery.com

Most of America west of the Rockies is covered with desert. With few exceptions it is a stark and brittle place, and things that live there must be on their game at all times in order to survive. Though it appears battle hardened, the desert itself is ironically fragile. It requires years to heal from wounds, whether delivered by harsh weather or by man’s clumsiness. One particular part of the western desert, the Colorado Plateau, is completely unique in the world. There are endless sculpted red rock canyons and towers and massive stacks of varying rock layers, geologic timelines of the region’s diverse history. It is a humbling experience to travel there. We as Americans are blessed to be caretakers of this phenomenal place, and it is up to us to make sure that while we walk and live on it, we remain inspired by its beauty and uniqueness, and tread accordingly.

I began producing photographs in my dad’s darkroom at age 8, which was essentially the kitchen at our house with the windows covered. It was lots of work but fun and it fostered in me a love of image making. Later, after working for years in a different trade, I found my way to photography school and eventually a career as a commercial photographer. All along I had been producing my own work, landscapes in black and white. In 2000 when the first serious digital cameras and printers began to appear, I began to move away from shooting film and using large format cameras for that work. As the rest of the world eventually went digital, I opened my own digital imaging business in Portland and did scanning and printing for a variety of businesses and artists until retiring in 2016. Today I consider myself fortunate to be able to travel to places that inspire and attempt to live once again in the world of an 8 year old.

Phil Bard Photography
https://philbard.com
phil@philbard.com