I participated in another art show recently.  Held the last weekend of the month during the summer, it is an eclectic collection of random artists.  It is called the “Miners’ 9” because there are 9 artists that show their work and the show is held in the Park City Miner’s Hospital, a venue built in 1904.  

Here is a bit of history. The building has served as a hospital, restaurant, bar, skier dorm and hostel.  Plans were made in the 1970’s to demolish the hospital, but Park City locals rallied to save the hospital, relocated the 400 ton building to its present location and turned the hospital into the Park City Library in 1982.  It now serves as a community center and is the site for many events including this art show.  In 1993 the Library was relocated to its present location, in the old Park City High School location.  Interesting fact, the books were moved with a book brigade. Volunteers formed a human chain and passed books from the old location to the new.  

Participating in a show like this can be both rewarding and disappointing all at the same time.  You are showing  your creative work along with other creatives. In my case, painters of abstracts, amazing pottery, wonderful pen and ink drawings, fiber artists, jewelry from gems, bones and fossils, incredible works of glass and a craftsman of the best bird houses you could imagine. The work is so good, I am often tempted to purchase the work of fellow artists and bring it home. Not the best business model, but I do appreciate the work of others. 

It is rewarding because the public is free to vote with their feet, they can freely wander the venue and check out the art that appeals to them spending as much or as little time as they want with each artist.   Everyone showing is talented and worth checking out.  Potential patrons often offer unsolicited feedback.  I always appreciate it when someone stops and spends some time looking at a particular picture. I offer to tell the viewer the story of the photograph, where and how it was made, the challenges (-25 degrees in Yellowstone) and as they go through my loose prints I will ask them to talk about what they like about what they are looking at.  

Disappointing because this weekend I was unable to separate anyone from their cash, so all the art I carefully loaded in, also had to be carefully loaded out and re-stored in my home.  Some of my fellow photographer friends are disappointed for me, they think my work is “wall-worthy.”  Just not this time.  

I think trying to make a living as a fine art photographer is not as easy as it used to be, not that it was ever easy, but new digital tools such as cameras and printers have made the process more accessible.   I am fortunate in that I do not need the income from my photography at this point in my life. But I still like it when someone thinks enough of my work that they are willing to part with their own hard-earned cash and want to put something I created on their own wall.  That is the true definition of “Wall-Worthy.”

I still plan to keep on shooting and showing my work, making images that make me happy and hopefully others will take a look with their own set of emotions and find them interesting.  Thanks for stopping by.