Winnipeg, Canada

I was delighted this week to receive a signed copy of my good friend’s new coffee-table book, Mike Grandmaison’s Prairie and Beyond, published by Turnstone Press. There’s a book launch and gallery show of some of Mike’s recent photography work on Monday, 7 May at 19:30 in McNally Robinson’s Prairie Ink Cafe. Reservations are recommended—call Prairie Ink at (204) 975-2659 to reserve a table (or join me at mine).

This stunning book features Mike’s breathtaking photography from Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta, sorted into chapters; The Grasslands, The Wetlands, The Drylands, The Forests, The Mountains, and The Subarctic. Turnstone had asked me a few months ago to write the book’s back cover text, which appears as follows…

Mike Grandmaison’s passionate quest to capture the essence of this great land and his tireless effort to create meaningful, relevant images of lasting beauty have resulted in a truly remarkable, award-winning body of work. Many share my view that his intimate portraits of the natural world and exquisite landscapes are unexcelled, and I am delighted that he has “turned his lens” to the prairies in this collector’s volume.

The fine gallery of light-filled imagery you’ll discover herein reflect Mike’s exceptional eye and uncanny ability to unearth the photogenic in the “here and now”—he finds resonance and beauty in what many would pass by as being commonplace, and he brings a singular viewpoint to his work that is born of intuition, an innate humility, deep respect for the natural world, and an undying attitude of discovery.

ISBN 978-0-88801-393-4