Art Focus Fine Art & Custom Framing is hosting local photographer Teysha Vinson for March, with an artist reception on Friday, March 4.
Vinson’s show is titled “Here and Further Still” and features images of the Bitterroot Valley, the Bitterroot Mountains and beyond.
“Most photos are from here and some are further,” Vinson said. “I’ve only lived here a few years but take my camera with me as I go around. I love the landscape.”
Her preference is not to take grand photos that try to capture the whole forest but prefers to take more intimate images.
“I’m often photographing the ground and the grass and plants, a section of the forest,” she said. “It’s what’s in front of me because I’m easily enchanted.”
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Her images are familiar, fireweed at Roaring Lion, sagebrush, ponderosa and “that delightful surprise of a waterfall as you come around the bend up Skalkaho,” she said.
Her black and white photograph up Roaring Lion is of fireweed that has gone to seed and is catching the sun.
“I’m a sucker for plants catching sunlight and I just love that big glare that comes in,” Vinson said. “I’m okay with accidents and like the film messing up. I shoot on film mostly because it is a good workflow for me, and I love the way it looks. I’m open to accidents and idiosyncrasies.”
Vinson attended college as an art major and graduated in photography. She also earned her master’s degree in photography.
“I’ve done [photography] since 2007,” she said. “I love it. I love what happens in photographs that you don’t plan, [and the things] that get in there without you knowing.”
She enjoys the Bitterroot Mountains and hikes the trails with her three young children who make it about a mile down every trail.
“It’s a slow hike, they want to wander off the trail and look at things,” Vinson said. “As an adult, you want to be efficient and say, ‘let’s go, we’re moving forward’ but at the same time, their sense of wonder is so pure. They are happy to stop and I’m happy to stop with them.”
As part of her show, she has framed some small polaroids and instant photos.
“They have a lot of character to them,” Vinson said. “Sometimes they mess up and have double exposures, but they are close-ups found on Soft Rock or Skalkaho Road or Lake Como. I can’t get far from my kids, so they’re taken just off the road. They might be familiar to a lot of people.”
Vinson said her goal is to depict something more than just the beautiful landscape.
“I’m searching for a sense of presence, something unseen and poetic I can’t quite describe but can sometimes capture on film,” she said. “A meditation or a memory, an ‘it was incredible and then it was gone’ feeling. My hope is that my photographs are intimate landscapes. Quiet, present, quotidian and enchanting all at once.”
Art Focus owner Michelle Biggins said she’s please to present Vinson’s beautiful collection of photography.
“Teysha has thoughtfully created her work with intention and a creative eye that draws the viewer in,” Biggins said. “Her intimate photography is a storyline and a memory all wrapped up into one. Her work transcends everyday photography. This thought-provoking show is unique, enchanting and one not to miss.”
Biggins encourages the community to attend the artist reception to support the wonderful local artists and see the changes in the gallery.
“There have been many wonderful new works delivered over the past few weeks and I am excited to share with you,” Biggins said. “The gallery is constantly evolving and there are new works to see all the time.”
Learn more about Vinson’s photography during the artist reception from 5 to 7 p.m. on Friday, March 4, at Art Focus, 215 W. Main St., in Hamilton. For more information on each piece, visit the Art Focus website www.artfocusfineart.com.