Christene Sandeson and I are hanging our photographs and paintings today in preparation for our opening “Journeys” show which begins on Tuesday, September 05, 2023 and runs until September 28, 2023. The MMFI gallery is located at the Marigold Cultural Centre at 605 Prince Street, Truro, Nova Scotia.

We hope you will be able to join us between 1:30 pm - 3:30 pm on September 05, 2023 as we officially open our show. Christene and I will be there if you have any questions about our work or you would just like to visit.

This show was conceived three years ago when we were on a trip together in southern Portugal. We thought it would be interesting to celebrate our European travel experiences through our two different mediums, Christene’s paintings and my photography.

As a teaser to the show, here is one of my photographs entitled "Bovine Manor" along with its backstory. Hope to see you in person on Tuesday.

“Driving along a stretch of road in Portugal in 2020, I noticed a captivating scene. There were several cows standing next to an abandoned building which looked like it had been someone’s home at one time. The sky was overcast but there was an opening in the clouds and the light shown like a huge spotlight on the foreground and structure. I asked Jim, who was driving at the time, to pull over. I felt anxious to photograph what I had seen.

As I approached the fence line, I considered the story I wanted to tell and the various compositions I would like to try. I waited patiently for the cattle to look in my direction and I hoped they would position themselves where I wanted them to be. The waiting paid off and I was able to get several images before the light was gone.

Later that day, when I went through my photographs, I tried to figure out why the scene with the cows was so important to me. I remembered a day in Nova Scotia when I drove by several Holsteins standing in front of a green building. The structure was not fancy or particularly interesting but it was the way the light was hitting the paint and the humorous way the cows were gathered in front of it that grabbed my attention.

I thought of stopping to photograph it, but for some reason I decided to move on. I do not remember why I made that decision; however, I regretted it later as I never saw those Holsteins gathered there again. I learned a very valuable lesson from that experience. As a photographer, when something interesting catches your eye, it is important to stop and photograph it because that opportunity may not be available to you later. Consequently, when I drove past the scene in Portugal, I made sure I stopped to photograph the captivating ‘Bovine Manor’. It was such a beautiful and peaceful scene. I did not want to forget it.”