Winnipeg, Canada 

The launch of our book, Natural Reflections, took place this evening at McNally Robinson’s Booksellers in Winnipeg. I read select texts from the book’s five chapters, Mike displayed a dozen enlarged photographic prints (and provided back-story re: their creation), and we both answered questions from the standing-room-only audience who had gathered for the occasion. Fun!

Earlier in the day, I did a radio interview with Marjorie Dowhos, host of CBC Manitoba’s ‘Radio Noon,’ and Mike did an interview in French earlier CBC’s ‘Radio Canada’

An inspiring and highly original book of photography takes the reader on an unforgettable walk through the vast and wide beauty of “Natural Canada.” Natural Reflections captures natural beauty from the exceptional viewpoint and unique perspective of Mike Grandmaison’s lens.

A singular gallery of images is curated, amplified and informed by the observations of Robert L. Peters. Filled with insightful musings, truisms and parallel quotations from some of the world’s greatest thinkers, this book is bound to inspire and truly engage both halves of the brain. Divided into five contemplative chapters – On Inspiration, On Seeing, On Intimacy, On Order, On Change – this lavishly produced volume comprises a rich and seamless interweaving of image and word.

This is a book not to be missed by anyone interested in the natural world (and its preservation), the art of outdoor photography, the creative process or this vast land called Canada. The photographer and author, long-time friends and avid nature-lovers, share the humble view that, like a Mother, the Earth both bore us and sustains us, asking little in return but love and respect. This book is their reciprocal tribute and holistic offering.

The book is available at McNally’s and other book-sellers worldwide ( ISBN-10: 1771602546 / ISBN-13: 978-1771602549 ) as well as from online vendors such as Amazon and Chapters, etc…

Evelin and I have just returned from a wonderful (laid-back, serendipitous) and highly enjoyable three weeks in Portugal, touring around with abandon (with my brother Jim and his wife Bonny). This was my third visit to this great little country, and we were blessed to meet up with a number of designer colleagues and educators as we toured.

A fuel-efficient, diesel-engined Opel Astra carried the four of us and our modest baggage comfortably, allowing travel to wherever we wanted whenever we wanted. Airbnb accommodations worked out great, and were very affordable — we only booked “5-star” rated places, often just the night before… Baleal (3 nights), Arcozelo (2 nights, close to Porto and Braga), Tomar (2 nights), Melides (2 nights), Aljezur (2 nights), Vila do Bispo (1 night), Porches (4 nights, with an Algarve beach practically to ourselves), Lisbon (1 night), and Cascais (3 nights, close to Lisbon and Sintra).

Due to my food alergies I did the cooking daily, and Jim took on the facility-booking and driving responsibility (he’s an excellent driver). We truly enjoyed each others’ company, the fine people and hospitality we encountered, the spectacular scenery, the seafood, and of course the wine… 

Below is a small sampling of the many photos I took. More can be viewed in a Facebook gallery, here.

Seattle, Washington

My good friend, renowned designer Pat Hansen, has just launched a truly unique online gallery featuring works of fine art by accomplished professional graphic designers, illustrators, photographers, architects and interior designers — work created “on the side.” Many designers create outstanding art outside of their day-to-day practice, but few have had a way of exhibiting such works. Most offerings in Portfolio2 Gallery are one-of-a-kind or offered in limited editions, and have not been available until now.

An initial collection of fine art pieces is currently available here, in a range of media including painting, drawings, sculpture, photography, mixed-media, ceramics and various craft techniques. Accomplished professionals in the design industry (initially only in the USA) are invited to participate by exhibiting pieces they have created “outside of their professional career.” Portfolio2 Gallery’s commisson is 25%, and works of art are shipped (shipping price included!) directly from the artist to the buyer (again, only in the USA for now).

Initial response from the design community has been overwhelming. As noted by Chicago designer Greg Samata, “The idea of an online gallery to aggregate designers’ independent work is a brilliant one. It is an opportunity to make an extraordinary body of work available to the general public.”

A few samples are shown below… view the gallery’s current offerings here.

The Biodiversity Heritage Library (BHL), an “open access digital library for biodiversity literature and archives,” has for many years been making it easy for people to connect to nature through nature writing and illustration. Its “first stream,” currently at 122,281 images, has been carefully curated, and includes searchable galleries and albums divided by book title or subject, such as “Exotic botany illustrated,” “The Birds of Australia v.1,” and “Bats!” Its “second stream,” consisting of over 2 million images, is a massive grab-bag of photos, illlustrations from nature, advertisements, and imaginative renderings.

This digital library offers potential for chance discovery through “the aimless wandering that often leads to serendipitously sublime experiences.” The image archives “offer expansive views of humanity’s encounter with the natural world, not only through statistics and academic jargon, but through the artistic recording of wonder, scientific curiosity, and deep appreciation.” Many of the images allow “zooming in” to carefully observe details of the artists’ illustrative processes.

Enjoy! (source)

(Art by Mobii…)

(Thanks to Ana Masut for this…).

Bowen Island, British Columbia

This is a 24 x 36 inch poster created last year by my über-talented friend Marian Bantjes, composed of sand and dirt from around the world. Coexistence is printed on thick, durable, archival Epson Enhanced Matt paper using Epson UltraChrome HDR ink-jet technology.

Copyright © 2016 Marian Bantjes, All rights reserved.

(original image source unknown)

Winnipeg, Canada

We live in stories… is Ev’s latest piece. It incorporates impressions of wood letterpress type from my collection. As of yesterday this sculptural piece is on exhibit at the Pulse Gallery (The Forks, Winnipeg). This hand-built kiln-fired clay figure is partially glazed, along with oxide stains and cold finishes, on a stained wooden base (old-growth fir).