Mariposa Lilies!
One of my favorite aspects of landscape photography is the ability to isolate pieces of the landscape. Oregon’s high desert is largely dry and vegetation is relatively sparse during the summer months. Periodically, spring rains and weather patterns combine to stimulate blooms on one of my favorite wildflowers, the Mariposa Lily. Mariposa Lilies bloom for about 24 hours and they are usually found as isolated specimens. This was a rare grouping of Mariposa Lilies, growing wild on a friends property in Central Oregon.
Mariposa Lilies near Bend, Oregon
To capture two Mariposa Lilies in full bloom is exceedingly rare. To capture three more blooms about to open is even more unique. Finding this luminous grouping of Central Oregon wildflowers is lucky but being able to share them via my photography is a joy. This Landscape photo and three other new images will be on display tomorrow, May 6th, 2011 at the Bend Brewing Company in downtown Bend, Oregon. Please stop by during Bend’s First Friday Art walk celebration and let me know what you think about this Photograph.
Thanks,
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
Smith Rock State Park Fine Art Print
One of the new fine art prints that I’m about to release is seen below. This area of Smith Rock State Park is one of my favorites and is an unhealthy obsession for friend, photographer and media darling, Troy McMullin. Smith Rock is a truly stunning location but it is photographically challenging in that many of its areas have been shot to death. These towers, also referred to as “The Monument” is more difficult to get to than most areas and therefore hasn’t been overdone.
Smith Rock State Park
While Smith Rock State Park is technically a desert, the Crooked River flows through the park. Having lots of water flow through our Central Oregon Desert is part of what makes the Bend area special. Water also creates beautiful riverside riparian areas such as the one seen in the Smith Rock Image above. I hope to have this image available in the form of a Fine art print for my next show which will be the first Friday of October at Patagonia of Bend. I hope that the combination of Smith Rock’s towering rock formations combined with the raging Crooked River and an autumnal riparian mid-ground will make for a stunning fine art print. You can be the judge on the first friday in October in Downtown Bend.
Thanks for visiting,
Mike Putnam
First Friday Photography show at Patagonia of Bend.
Central Oregon's Mount Washington
For those of you who who will be in downtown Bend, Oregon tonight for the First Friday Art Walk, please stop by and see me at Patagonia Of Bend(formerly Pandora’s backpack). The above image of Central Oregon’s Mt. Washington is one of the several images that will be on display at Patagonia. Art walks typically last from 5-9pm but things may close early if there isn’t much traffic in the Downtown Bend area.
Oregon's Sparks Lake at Sunrise
I’ll have the above image of Sparks Lake on display, it is one of the best sparks lake photos I’ve ever taken, so hurry on down and take a look! As is usually the case, Patagonia of Bend will have a white wine of some sort available. Their wines are wonderful for removing paint and other debris from under your finger nails and I’m told that their wines are very effective as a solvent to remove pine pitch from dog fur or from the hood of your car. So if you have any solvent needs, come on down and grab a glass of Rod’s handy wine!
Mount Jefferson
The above photograph of Mt. Jefferson will also be on display at the First Friday Art walk tonight at Patagonia of Bend. It is one of the best Oregon landscape photographs I’ve ever taken, and I’ll have a large framed version on display tonight! If you are lucky, you might get to meet Patagonia’s manager, Mo. Mo is wonderful. Helpful, personable, funny and empowering. If you meet her, tell her I said she is awesome!
Oregon's Cascades at Sunrise
The above photograph of Central Oregon’s Cascade Mountains is one of my personal favorites. Taken from the highest point in the “true” Central Oregon area, the summit of South Sister, I definitely earned this shot. I’ll have a large framed 30×50 inch print of this image downtown tonight. While at the Art Walk tonight, try to say hello to Rod Bien, the owner of both Patagonia of Bend and Fleet Feet of Bend. Rod is a famous ultramarathoner, father, husband and retail giant. Despite his fame, the real reasons we love Rod are his crooked legs, his affable personality, and his horrendous taste in wine. If you are fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of his legs, notice the resemblance to to the famous yet crooked legged racehorse, Seabiscuit. It’s uncanny!
Bend, Oregon's Shevlin Park
The above image of Bend, Oregon’s Shevlin Park will also be on display tonight at Patagonia of Bend. Even if you don’t get to taste the awful wine and even if you don’t get to see Rod’s crooked legs, I think you will enjoy my photography, so please stop by tonight and say hello.
For those of you who have never been to one of my shows at Patagonia of Bend, they are located at 920 NW Bond St, in downtown Bend, Oregon.
Thanks for reading and I hope to see some of you tonight!
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
First Friday Art Show- 12/5/08
Broken Top Basin
Deschutes River in Autumn
The above image was taken near the Deschutes River Trail just south of Bend. The next photo, also never shown before is of Mt. Bachelor taken from the Three Sisters Wilderness Area. This is the most dense stand of Indian Paintbrush that I’ve found in the Bend area. I also like how the small cloud cap adds another element to the composition.
Mt. Bachelor and Indian Paintbrush
Mike Putnam Photo on Facebook
Oregon Cascade Mountain Gallery
High Desert Print Gallery
Trees and Wildflower Prints Gallery
Rivers, Lakes and Waterfalls Gallery
All content © 2012 by Mike Putnam Landscape Photography