First Friday Art Walk in Downtown Bend, Oregon (12/2/2011)
I’m pleased to announce that I will return to my frequent art haunt of Patagonia of Bend for tomorrow night’s First Friday Art Walk. Patagonia Of Bend is located at 920 NW Wall St, where I will introduce a new Print of Central Oregon’s beautiful Proxy Falls. I just viewed this print for the first time today and I think it looks fantastic!
Oregon Waterfall
Proxy Falls may be my favorite waterfall anywhere and I am very excited to share this new framed print! In addition to this new Oregon Waterfall Print, I’ll also have the following favorites on display during the First Friday Art Walk festivities.
Sparks Lake near Bend,Oregon.
Bend Oregon’s very own Sparks Lake during a beautiful sunrise. Below is another stunning waterfall image from the Bend,Oregon area, Bend’s own Tumalo Falls, captured this past summer!
Bend Oregon Waterfall
I will also be showing one of my favorite Oregon snow images, taken from the top of Bend’s Tumalo Mountain.
Bend Oregon Snow
Please stop by Patagonia of Bend tomorrow night to see my new Proxy Falls Print as well as these older favorites!
I hope to see you there,
Mike Putnam
The Art of Beer! First Friday May 2011.
I’ve mentioned the Bend Brewing Company many times before in this blog, which , frankly is odd, because this blog is supposed to be about photography! Well, I’m so excited, I have to mention the BBC (Bend Brewing Company) again. I always have my Oregon Landscape Photography displayed in the main room of the BBC, and occasionally my landscape photos are displayed in the hallway,which is reserved for a rotation of artists. I’m happy to say that my art will be displayed in the BBC “Art Hallway” during the month of May, 2011, and that I will be at the BBC for the first Friday Art walk(May 6, 2011) in downtown Bend, Oregon. Even more exciting, My Photograph, “Ponderosa Glow” will be featured on the label of the BBC’s newest bottled beer! The label of the beer is seen below.
Outback X Beer label from the Bend Brewing Company!
The BBC’s exceptionally talented brewmaster, Tonya Cornett(2008 World Beer Cup Brewmaster of the year!), will be there to sign bottles of this amazing beer. Outback X is , in fact, one of the most awarded beers in the world over the last 4 years! Below are some of its recent awards:
2010 Great American Brewing Festival-Bronze medal
2010 NABAA -Bronze medal
2010 World Beer Cup- Gold Medal
2009 Great American Beer Festival- Silver Medal
2008 World Beer Cup- Gold Medal
Wow! As you can imagine, I am honored to have my photograph grace the label of this exceptional beer. This honor is especially cherished because the management and staff at the BBC have been so kind to me and my family over the years. Thank You to them! Below is an image off the Ponderosa tree that is seen on the Outback X label.
Ponderosa Pine Tree
It is perhaps my favorite tree in the world and the second largest ponderosa tree I’ve ever seen. I’ll also have a large print of “Ponderosa Glow” on display for the First Friday Art walk, May 6th, at the Bend Brewing Company, so save that night on your calendar for a fun combination of beer and art!
Cheers,
Mike Putnam
Bend Oregon First Friday Art Walk! 3/4/2011
I’ve had some fairly exciting developments in my landscape photography world over the last few weeks. I spent a small fortune on new Bend and Central Oregon Greeting Cards which I hope to share with everyone tomorrow night during the First Friday Art Walk in Downtown. I’ll be selling them for $20 for a variety pack(normally $24). I’ll be at my usual haunt, Patagonia of Bend, which is located at 920 NW Wall Street. I also recently tried to zero-out my bank account by purchasing some high end display lights to illuminate my fine art prints. I’d love some feed back on how my landscape prints look when illuminated better, so stop by my show between 5-9PM. I’ll be displaying the following image of the Central Oregon Cascades after a fresh winter snowfall for the first time. I’m really excited about how this fine art print looks and I think any bend area outdoor enthusiast will enjoy this print.
Oregon Cascades on a Snowy Winter Morning!
Other than this image of the Oregon Cascades, I’ll also have several of my other classic Central Oregon Landscape Photos. Tomorrow night’s First Friday Art Walk promises to be a busy one, so get there early, if you can. The following image of Smith Rock State Park will be another well lit fine art print on display for First Friday in Bend.
Smith Rock State Park
I’ll have several other Bend area Landscape photographs as well, so if you are in the downtown area, please stop in and say “Hello”! Thanks and I hope to see some of you tomorrow night.
Mike Putnam
First Friday Art Walk, Bend, Oregon
Hello, everyone, I will be at Pandora’s Backpack, AKA Patagonia of Bend(920 NW Bond St, in Downtown Bend), tonight, Friday January 7, 2011 from about 5-9PM displaying a few pieces of my work. If any photography fans are in the downtown Bend area, please stop by and say Hello.
Sparks Lake near Bend, Oregon
The following image of Sparks Lake will accompany me tonight, as will a few of my other images. I will also have my Oregon Greeting cards for sale at the show only price of $20 for a mix pack of 8 cards. I hope to see some of you there tonight.
All the Best,
Mike
Bend Oregon Fall Art Hop
It’s that time again art fans, Fall Art Hop! As is often the case, I’ll be sharing my fine art landscape photography at Patagonia of Bend, located at 920 NW Bond Street, in Downtown Bend. The good folks at Patagonia will be sharing their now famous iced animal cookies. It is a touch of class that you can’t just find anywhere, so come on in and enjoy the ambrosial flavors of tiny animals dipped in frosting. Confectionary Greatness! This greatness will be balanced by the astringent notes of Patagonia of Bend’s signature brand of slightly rancid wine, that I generously think of as good vinegar! What more could you ask for?
Tumalo Falls, near Bend, Oregon
The above picture of Bend’s own Tumalo Falls will be on display at this particular art hop. It is a picture that has special meaning to me because I captured this images with my beautiful daughter, Emma. While Emma may not be at the show, this Central Oregon Landscape picture will.
Dwarf Monkeyflowers blooming near Bend, Oregon
This vibrant macro picture of dwarf monkeyflowers blooming in the high desert outside of my hometown of Bend, will be displayed for the first time tomorrow night. It captures one of the splashes of color that make high desert hikes so worth while. Another new pictured that will be displayed for the first time at art hop will be the following picture of Broken Top Mountain.
Broken Top Mountain near Bend, Oregon
I’ve enjoyed dozens of hikes along the Broken top Trail including several overnighters but I’ve never found a better wildflower foreground with “No Name Lake” and Broken Top in the background. This was a morning picture and more importantly is was a low wind morning which allowed me to get good detail of the wildflowers in this beautiful scene. The following landscape picture of Bend’s famed Sparks Lake was taken last year. This picture will also be available at Patagonia of Bend for fall art hop.
Sparks Lake near Bend, Oregon
Probably my favorite Sparks Lake Picture to date, this image captures a gorgeous sunrise with placid waters from one of Oregon’s most iconic locations. Fresh snow on South Sister and Broken Top, certainly add to this serene Central Oregon Picture.
Oregon's Mount Jefferson
The above picture of Oregon’s beautiful Mt. Jefferson will also be on display at Art Hop on the night of October 1st. If you are in the Bend area, please stop by , check out my work and say hello.
I hope to see you all at art Hop!
Thanks,
Mike Putnam
First Friday Art Walk 9/3/2010 in Bend, Oregon
Tonight for Bend, Oregon’s First Friday Art Walk, I’ll be back to my old haunt of Patagonia of Bend. Bend’s one and only Patagonia store is located at 920 NW Wall St in Downtown. I’ll have my work displayed and downtown Bend should be bustling with activity. Get you art groove on and stop in and say hello if you happen to be in the downtown area tonight from 5PM to 9PM. I’ll spend most of my time at the Patagonia store but my work will also be displayed at the Volcano Vineyards tasting room located at 126 NW Minnesota St, just around the corner from Patagonia of Bend. If you don’t see me at one place, I’ll be at the other and my Oregon landscape photography will be at both!
Mount Washington, in Autumn
The above image of Oregon’s Mt. Washington along with several other landscape images will be at Patagonia of Bend. Also available at Patagonia of Bend will be their now famous iced animal cookies and Rod Bien’s family label of Rot-Gut wine, which is great for quickly removing tartar from you teeth! Stop in for great photography and a free teeth whitening!
Meanwhile at Volcano, will be Sangria, Merlot, viognier, and their exceptional Syrah. I hope to see some of you in Downtown Bend tonight for the September 3, 2010 art walk!
All the Best,
Mike Putnam
Bend Oregon Art Walk. Split shifts between Volcano Vineyards and Pandora’s Backpack.
I’m pleased to announce that I will be in downtown Bend, Oregon for the First Friday Art Walk from approximately 5-9PM this Friday, March 5th. I will start the evening at the Volcano Vineyards Tasting Room located at 126 NW Minnesota St I’ll be there from approximately 5-7PM.
The walls of the Volcano Vineyards Tasting Room festooned with beautiful Photography!
At 7Pm I’ll move to Pandora’s Backpack which is located just around the corner at 920 NW Bond St where I’ll reside from approximately 7-9pm.
Patagonia by Pandora's Backpack located at 920 NW Bond St. in Bend, Or
I’ll have some of my best work displayed at these locations so please stop by.
Volcano will have their always stellar wines available for a very fair price and the Pandora’s Backpack will have their always awful wine available for free! It should be noted that while Rod Bien’s(owner of Pandora’s Backpack) taste in wine has been know to make winos gag, they do have a beautiful collection of Patagonia clothing that will make any outdoor enthusiast giddy with excitement.
smiling and helpful staff members, like Whitney, seen above, will be available to serve you some semi-toxic wine tomorrow(3/5/10) at Pandora's Backpack
Please stop by for good or bad wine and hopefully great Photography! Below is a small sampling of the work I will have available.
Mt. Washington at sunrise.
Photograph of Shevlin Park in Autumn.
Photo of a beautiful sunrise from one of Oregon's most photogenic locations, Central Oregon's Sparks Lake.
Sunrise on Central Oregon's Broken Top Mountain with a wildflower filled foreground.
Please stop by as it should be a great evening!
All the Best,
Mike Putnam
First Friday Art Walk at my newest Bend Art Gallery: Volcano Vineyards Tasting Room
The First First Friday Art Walk for February 2010 is almost upon us and I’d like to officially invite everyone to the Volcano Vineyards Tasting room located at 126 NW Minnesota St(between Bond St and Wall St.) in Downtown Bend. I’ll be there Friday February 5th between 5PM and 9PM and my Fine Art Photographs will be hanging there through March 2010. I will have several new fine art photographs on display and the Quons will be playing as well, which should make for an entertaining evening.
Interior of the Volcano Vineyards Tasting room in Downtown Bend, Oregon
As the First Friday art walk for downtown Bend was cancelled for January( because it was on New Years Day) This Art Walk for February should be especially busy and exciting. Below is another shot of the interior of The Volcano Tasting Room with some of my fine art landscape photographs on the walls.
My fine art photographs hanging at the Volcano Vineyards mothership in downtown Bend.
Finally one last shot of the lovely and affable Liz Ratcliff who along with her husband, Scott, is the owner and operator of Volcano. If you see Liz on Friday night, buy a glass of their amazing Syrah and tell her the landscape photography looks stunning!
Liz Ratcliff of Volcano Vineyards fame!
I hope to see some of you Friday Night At Volcano! Come enjoy the Great Wine, Great Music and Great photography at my newest fine art photography gallery in downtown Bend!
Thanks for Visiting,
Mike Putnam
Thanks for the First Friday Art Walk support!
I’d like to offer a special thanks to those of you who turned out(there were a lot of you) to my show at Pandora’s Backpack in downtown Bend, Oregon. The turn-out was exceptional! I got to meet some great new people which made my week for me. Below was one of the images which stole the show as it often does. I call it “Summit Sunrise” because I captured this image while standing on the summit of South Sister. It captures an iconic Central Oregon view and I thrilled it was enjoyed by many people on the night of 11/6/2009.
Summit Sunrise Fine Art Print
If you invest in this fine art print, don’t worry, you aren’t required to take any of my family photos with it! Thanks again to those who turned out to support me and the new friends I made.
On a different note, I just posted a blog entry about Silver Falls State Park at our Pacific Crest Stock Photography site. Please visit the following link to view some beautiful Oregon Waterfall images. Oregon Waterfall photos. Thanks again everyone!
Mike Putnam
First Friday Art Walk at Luxe Home Interiors in Downtown Bend. Come see the best in Oregon Landscape Photography Oregon
I hope everybody checks their Email one last time before leaving work for the weekend because I”m getting this announcement out a little late. I’ll be showing my work tonight, Friday June 5th at Luxe Home Interiors in downtown Bend , Oregon. During Art walks, the wine usually starts flowing at about 5:00PM and end at about 8:30PM. I’ll be there at about 5:30 due to some parenting responsibilities. If any of you are in the vicinity, please stop by and say “Hello”. Luxe is located at 856 NW Bond St. which is the same street that the Deschutes Brewery is on but Luxe is a couple of blocks to the south.
Photograph/Picture of South Sister reflected in Sparks Lake in the Central Oregon Cascades
The above Sparks Photograph will be amongst the many fine art landscape photography prints of mine on display tonight, so please stop by get some free wine and patronize the arts! I hope to see you all tonight.
Mike Putnam
Bend , Oregon First Friday Art Hop at U.S. Bank Downtown Branch.
I’d like to thank the good people from U.S. bank, in Bend, Oregon, who recently purchased some of my fine art landscape photography for their newly remodeled downtown branch.
Sunrise on Central Oregon's Broken Top Mountain with a wildflower filled foreground.
The above photograph is one of those now on permanent display at the downtown Bend, Oregon branch of the U. S. Bank. This beautiful image captures Central Oregon’s Broken Top Mountain at sunrise with a beautiful flower filled foreground which includes Monkeyflowers, Queen Anne’s Lace, Indian Paintbrush, Senecio, and alpine asters. This and all the other images at U.S. Bank are double matted with a museum white acid free matte which looks great at the bank.
Photo/Picture of Central Oregon's favorite waterfall, Tumalo Falls
The above Tumalo Falls also looks great at U. S. Bank. For those of you who have seen this image before, you’ll notice that this specific has a slightly different crop, giving it a more expansive feel. It is a crop I’ve wanted to try and one that the folks at U. S. Bank wanted for their downtown Bend, OR branch.
Photo/picture of an alpine sunrise as seen from the summit of Central Oregon's South Sister
This semi-famous “summit sunrise” image is still one of my favorites and is now one of the favorites of U. S. Bank. It looks great there as it does at most locations. It gives a rugged, alpine balance to the balance of fine art images in the new collection at U. S. Bank.
Picture/ photograph of the Painted Hills of John Day in Eastern Oregon
The above Painted Hills print captured in the John Day unit of the Painted Hills area is another great representation of the tremendous geographic diversity that can be found in the Bend, Oregon area. This image is also a permanent member of the U.S. Bank’s art collection.
Photo/picture of Mt. Jefferson in the Central Oregon Cascade Range
This picture of Jefferson Park was captured in late summer from one of my favorite camping and hiking areas and is one of the first locations that made me excited about fine art landscape photography. this is simply one of my favorite types of landscapes to capture. Beautiful snow-covered mountains, scenic alpine meadows filled with wildflowers and great warm evening light.
Fine Art photo/picture of Oregon's Smith Rock State Park with the Crooked River in the foreground
Smith Rock State Park offers endless fine art photography opportunities and this is one of my favorite prints from that wonderful Oregon location. The glowing towers bathing in soft warm light with a fore ground of the gently curving Crooked River offer another example of the phenomenal diversity of the Central Oregon region. I think all of the above images make a beautiful permanent addition to the downtown Bend , Oregon branch of U.S. Bank, but judge for yourself! Please stop in at the bank and tell me what you think.
I’d like to sincerely thank the kind people of U.S. Bank who chose to purchase my art work and who graciously hosted me during the May 2009 first Friday Art walk in Downtown Bend. The event was well attended and it was very rewarding to meet some new people who are willing to support the arts in Central Oregon. A special thanks should also go out to Stacey, Loretta, Andy, and the rest of the staff at the U.S. Bank Downtown branch. They were all very efficient, helpful, organized and pleasant people to work with during the completion of this art project.
Thank You!
Mike Putnam
Bend, Oregon First Friday Spring Art Hop
I’d like to thank all my friends who stopped by to see my landscape photography at Pandora’s Backpack this past Friday. The event was a big success and the crowds were great. As usual, the staff at Pandora’s Backpack was great. Rod, Mo, Jordan, Thad, etc are always accommodating and personable to work with. I unfortunately wasn’t able to visit the show locations for a couple of friends who were also participating in the spring first Friday Art Hop in downtown. Jane Tolve and Mary Catherine, if you’re reading this, I hope things went great for you. I won’t be showing at Pandora’s for the First Friday Art Walk in May as I have another commitment that I’ll announce pretty soon.
The Pacific Crest as seen from the summit of Central Oregon's South Sister.
The above image of of Middle and North Sister and the rest of the Cascade Crest extending north was a big hit at the art hop. It is fun to share the mountain line-up all the way into Washington State with people. If any of you who attended my show have any questions about my work or would like to see one of my fine art landscape photography prints again, please email me or call 541-610-4815. Once again, thanks to everyone who made the spring art hop a big success.
Take Care,
Mike Putnam
Bend Oregon First Friday Art Hop!
I’ll be showing my fine art prints at Pandora’s Backpack in downtown Bend for the 2009 spring Art Hop on April 3rd. Pandora’s Backpack is located at 920 NW Bond Street, Suite 101 Bend, Oregon. The Spring and the Fall art hops are the most highly promoted and anticipated of the First Friday events in downtown Bend. Typically it is an exciting, festive evening, so please stop by and patronize the arts! Things tend to start to kick off at about 5PM and wrap up at about 9:30 PM. I’ll be there with my fine art prints and, homemade easels a smiling face and a few new images. Below is one of the images I’ll bring along which has been lightly shown but has received rave reviews from the Aspen tree lovers in Oregon.
Aspen grove in fall near skyliner drive west of Bend, Oregon
The pure density of the fall foliage in this aspen grove picture makes it an enjoyable and festive image to view. I’ve always been a huge fan of aspen trees and aspen groves in that they seem to have a special energy. While I won’t divulge exactly where this photo was taken, I’ll tell you that it was taken west of Bend and it probably isn’t where you’d think it is! I’ve searched all around Central Oregon and I had very little luck with aspen groves until I found this scene. If you are an aspen lover, I think you’ll enjoy this photograph. The Next image is one I captured while backpacking along the Broken Top trail with my good friend Old Mike Croxford who is currently on an extensive post retirement road trip. Click here to read more about Old Mike’s Road Trip. Old Mike is a great adventure partner because he can carry a lot of weight, he doesn’t complain, he loves the great outdoors, and because he makes coffee in the morning! I remember how pleased i was to return from taking sunrise shots adjacent to Broken Top Mountain in the Three Sisters Wilderness area and find that not only was Old Mike awake but he’d already made coffee. Excellent!
Picture of spring wildflowers along the flanks of Broken Top in the Central Oregon Cascades
The combination of senecio, red indian paintbrush, and alpine fireweed make a playful wildflower foreground with one of broken Top’s pinnacles as a background. This is a very alpine area where it is difficult to find great flowers like these. I’ve never found an official name for the small glacial lake in the mid-ground of this picture but my friend Dave Nissen of Wanderlust Tours refers to it as No-Name Lake which is as good as an official name as far as I’m concerned. When anybody who is as gifted of a naturalist and as sharp a person as Dave has a name for something, I don’t need any other references. Therefore, my official name for this lake is “No-Name Lake”.
This next picture is a favorite of both my wife and my good friend, Big Todd. It was taken somewhere near Alder Springs Trail Head south east of Sisters, Oregon. I’ll have it at the art hop but my wife will be mad at me until I put it back over her dresser, unless of course I sell it! It is my favorite grouping of Bitterroot blossoms in an area managed by one of my favorite charities, the Deschutes Land Trust. It really is a special area and a great early spring day hike as it is relatively low in elevation and has some diverse and beautiful terrain but if the balsamroot are blooming, please beware because the rattlesnakes are out of their winter hibernation!
Photo of bitterroot blossoms near Alder Springs trailhead in Central Oregon
This final spring art hop preview picture is of one of central Oregon’s favorite locations, Tumalo Falls. I shot this photo with my daughter in a driving rain. Despite the associated gusting winds, the rain was helpful. It served to enhance the saturation of the scene that was already at it’s peak of fall color. despite the fact that one can find hundreds of pictures of Tumalo Falls, this is still my favorite. The combination of color, composition, memories and a long exposure make this photograph a strong representation of a beautiful location.
Picture of Tumalo Falls near Bend, Oregon
Please stop by and say “Hello” if you happen to be out in downtown Bend during the upcoming spring art hop on April 3rd. I’ll have the above fine art prints there as well as many others.
I Hope to see you all there!
Mike Putnam
First Friday Fine Art Photography show at Pandora’s Backpack
I’d like to officially thank Rod Bien of Pandora’s backpack in downtown Bend for hosting my photography show last Friday(3/6/09) The store is great, Rod has always been generous in allowing my huge fine art prints and cumbersome easels to clutter up his store and the staff at Pandora’s backpack is also a great group of people. Mo, Jordan, Thad and everyone who chipped in at last Friday’s art walk. It is very appreciated.
Mt. Bachelor and Red Indian Paintbrush in the Central Oregon Cascades
We had a great turn out and it was especially nice to see some old friends and collectors who I had regrettably lost touch with in the past couple years. Above is one of the many images that are still hanging at Pandora’s backpack which I captured with my large format 4×5 film camera.
For those of you that don’t already know, Pandora’s backpack is according to my understanding a Patagonia concept store. Meaning they are privately owned but carry almost a full line of Patagonia clothing. Perhaps if Rod Bien happens to stumble upon this entry , he could give us some details. Regardless, it is full of high quality, well made outdoor gear from my favorite outdoor company, Patagonia. Old Patagonia catalogs were one of my early photography inspirations. When I lived in Kentucky with my parents, I had a small collection of photos cut out of old Patagonia catalogs taped up next to my spot at the dinner table. It was my happy spot! Back to Pandora’s Backpack. It is a beautiful store with very attractive brick walls and some nice rugged wood details, all of which combine nicely with my large format fine art prints and the hand made cherry wood frames that I create for them.
Lichen covered basalt columns in Central Oregon's High Desert
The above is another one of my fine art photos which is currently hanging at Pandora’s backpack. I captured this image near the alder springs area outside of Sisters, Oregon. I met lots of new Bend residents at the show virtually all of who are living in Bend for the outdoor experiences that are available here. Having the Deschutes River, the high desert, old growth ponderosas, and the Cascade Mountains all within minutes of each other and minutes of Downtown Bend make this an amazing place for me to live.
Middle Sister, North Sister, Mt Washington, Three Fingered Jack, and Mt. Jefferson as seen from Tam McArthur Rim
This is yet another fine art image hanging at Pandora’s backpack and yet another reason I feel lucky to live and work in Central Oregon. An endless supply of beautiful photography subjects and some amazing sunsets are nothing to complain about. The above photograph was taken from Tam McArthur Rim high on the flanks of Central Oregon’s Broken Top Mountain in the Oregon Cascades. The sunset was clearly stunning but the view is always grand from this location. From left to right are Middle Sister, North Sister, Mt. Washington, Three Fingered Jack, and Mt. Jefferson. It is truly an amazing volcanic viewpoint.
If any of you are interested in seeing more of my work in person, please stop by Pandora’s backpack where my work is semi-permanently displayed. It is located at the On Bond street in the St. Clair building in downtown Bend.
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