Smith Rock State Park

I recently sold an image to some very personable new collectors of my work and I was so happy with how their Smith Rock State Park image turned out, I printed one for myself!  I just completed my Smith Rock print and promptly hung it at the Bend Brewing Company in Downtown Bend.  If you would like to see the Smith Rock image pictured below, but 40 inches tall, then stroll on down to the Bend, Brewery!

smith-rock-state-park

This Smith Rock State Park photo has a wonderful “summery” feel that is nice to come by during January in Central Oregon.  If you happen to stop by the Bend Brewery, tell them I said “Hello” and you should also grad a pint of Elk Lake IPA as the current batch tastes excellent!

Thanks for Reading,

Mike Putnam

Jan 19, 2011 | Oregon Landscape photography blog entries | Leave A Comment »

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

Sep 17, 2010 | Central Oregon Fine Art Landscape Photography | Leave A Comment »

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

May 08, 2009 | Oregon Landscape photography blog entries | Leave A Comment »