Two of the photographs I took at Bryce Canyon on the Thursday before Easter are,
I feel, two of the best landscape shots I’ve done in my career. I picked the negs up from my lab last week and I was thrilled with what I saw. They came out better than I expected. Once again I stress, the anxiety and exuberant feeling of using film is part of the art of creating great images. In addition to the two from Bryce,
I have selected two shots from Canyon de Chelly and one from Arches National Park, that I have been tryiing to get for seven years. At last ! I could not be happier with the results.

When will I release the new images ? On May 1st, they will be released to the general public to see at our gallery in Cherry Creek North. On Friday, Saturday and Sunday, May 1st, 2nd and 3rd, we will be hosting our 25th Silver Anniversary Celebration at the gallery featuring the new images from canyon country. They will be presented on canvas, and are available in any size canvas and in photographic prints. If you’re able, please join us.

I think back to the beginning. Our first show was the Houston flea market in Texas. The fee for the show was $20. We sold a print of the Galveston surf for $25, and we were on our way. For those who don’t know, we remained in Houston for the next year, then in May of 1985 moved to Colorado and since then have done almost 800 art shows, and have had our galleries in Littleton and then Cherry Creek since 1992. Photographing in 32 counties and six continents has been way more then I would have ever dreamed on that hot day in Houston, 25 years ago. It’s also a very extraordinary feeling knowing that the images I’m about to release are some of my best.

After two weeks of trying to head west for a shoot in Utah, I had to cancel twice due to weather forecasts. So, I decided to combine my desire to photograph again with a show I’ve done annually for the past six or seven years in St. George.
The festival takes place Easter weekend, on Friday and Saturday. I left Denver on Monday, with a decent drive over the Colorado High country in my van. Arriving in Moab about 5 PM, I checked into a hotel and had dinner. A bit before 6, I headed into Arches National Park, picked up an annual parks pass and proceeded. It was two days before a full moon, so I tried to work it into a picture, but wasn’t satisfied with position and light. The next morning I awoke at 5:30 and drove to Canyonlands, pulling up once again to the Mesa Arch trailhead. There in the parking lot was a tour bus. It didn’t bother me, because I’ve successfully shot the arch 3 times already. I scouted around for something else to shoot, but didn’t take a single one. I returned to the hotel, checked out and headed south on 191 to Chinle, Arizona, home of Canyon de Chelly. After a late lunch at a fast food Chinese restaurant, I gathered my gear and began the 1.2 mile hike down into the canyon, destination the White House Ruins. I had a difficult time getting down the rocky trail. I still have a hard time stabilizing myself at times. The thought of going back up this steep climb was scaring me. Anyway, I got to the bottom and successfully photographed the amazing ruins there. Shadows came in from a direction I didn’t expect, so the brilliant sunset light wasn’t there, but I’m sure it’s a fine picture. When I was done shooting there was hardly anyone left. Now I had to make the dreaded climb back up hauling all my gear. A young man in a 4×4 offered me a ride for $40. I thought about it quickly and offered him twenty. He accepted and took me for a ride along the river bed working, his way out of the canyon. Glad I made that decision, since I was unprepared without a flashlight. The next morning I took some shots of the river from an overlook that
was breathtaking. Packed up my goods and headed for Bryce Canyon, back in Utah where I was expecting to shoot at sunrise, but decided to give sunset a try. To my pleasant satisfaction there was great light and a fury of picturesque clouds. This may be my best Bryce shot to date. The next morning I awoke early and decided to head through Zion en route to St George. I was there at sunrise, but frankly speaking it was a rather boring start for the day. I took a couple of shots for the record of being there. At the Zion entrance, I stopped at Michael Fatali’s incredibly beautiful gallery and had the pleasure of meeting the man, himself. A very brilliant photographer. Then onto St George, did the two day show
with moderate success. On my return trip, I stayed again in Moab, and may have taken a shot of Arches that I’ve been trying to get for many many years. I pick my film up tommorrow from my friends at Reed photo and I’m really confident of three strong images from Canyon de Chelly, Bryce and Arches. These will all be premiered at our 25 year Silver Anniversary Celebration at the end of the month. Stay tuned. Info to follow !

I get more and more excited as we approach this year’s Holiday Open House. With a tough economy hanging over us, I feel that we have been able to offer a wide range of gift items like never before.

My new image, “The Magic of Yellow”, will be shown at the gallery for the first time. I believe this is one of my better Colorado shots, taken on Kebler Pass, near Crested Butte. I had spent the previous evening in Ridgway, attempting another fall image of Mt. Sneffels, but to my disappointment there
was no light, shining through the existing clouds. Neither was the next morning’s sunrise worth a shot. The plan was to spend the next evening shooting a Mt.Crested Butte sunset. So I drove north through Paonia and headed across Kebler Pass. That’s when I came across this view. The aspens were perfect, and the 2 P.M. light was as good as sunset. What grabbed me the most was the spectacular clouds. We’ll have this shot on canvas and on board available for Holiday gifts.

We’re also giving away free Bubble Lady books for you to give to a child, or a poster. FYI, it rained the entire time I was in Crested Butte, later that afternoon. If you purchase from us at this open house your name will be entered into a drawing to win a $200 gift certificate to be used in January. We have five of our books available “Last Signs of the Frontier”, “Early Signs of Enchantment (New Mexico), the Blue Bubble Lady, “Colorado: A Breath Away From Heaven” and the beautiful new coffee table book “Dreams That Last Forever”. And then we have the $20 gift, plaques with quotes from the Breath Away book. We still have holiday cards,” The Three Wisemen” and “Roxborough Winter”. And on top of all of this my friend Noel Cunningham is serving h’ordeurves from his incredible restaurant “Strings”. Happy holidays to all, please join us ! Andy