Rick Barnard’s camera lens has captured a variety of stunning landscapes in the American West and the South. A selection of his fine art photographic prints of dramatic vistas from The Smoky Mountains to the Northwestern Plains will be displayed at the Columbus Arts Council’s Rosenzweig Arts Center in November and December. The public is invited to a free opening reception for Visions of Nature from 5:30-7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 9. The nature and landscape photographer based in Collierville, Tennessee, will be in attendance. Barnard, who has relatives in Columbus, is a repeat visitor to the city.
His solo exhibits have been featured at the Memphis Botanical Gardens, Germantown Performing Arts Centre and at Christian Brothers University, among other notable locations. He has also taken part in numerous group exhibits.
Barnard will share approximately 40 prints in the Columbus show. His images explore the waterfalls, rivers, mountains, deserts, birds and flowers that offer a glimpse of America beyond the beaten path.
“They are all about this great big beautiful country of ours,” Barnard told The Dispatch. “We’ve very fortunate to have the national parks that we do. I began to really appreciate them 10 years ago when my wife and I were in Alaska, in the Katmai Wilderness.” Of about a dozen people the Barnards were with, around half were from other countries. Without fail, the photographer said, they spoke of how lucky Americans are to have the parks.
Barnard’s passion for photography enables him to portray the world as he sees it.
“I’m a bit of a dreamer, and photography is an interpretive art. My photos reflect my vision of a flower, an individual or a mountain stream. With my camera, I can slow the tides, darken the skies or capture a special moment in the eyes of a child,” he said.
“I think that today especially, the work of (myself) and other photographers is very important because all of us have concerns about the earth and the condition and the cleanliness of it. I hope that my photographs help others take a pause, take a moment and see the world around us in different ways.”
In addition
Friday’s reception also features a showing of acrylic and oil paintings by Gail Richardson in the arts center’s Artist Alley gallery. Richardson’s collection is titled Hodge Podge.
The Rosenzweig Arts Center is located at 501 Main St., in downtown Columbus. For more information, contact the CAC, 662-328-2787 (closed Mondays).
IF YOU GO:
WHO: Columbus Arts Council
WHAT: Exhibit reception/photography by Rick Barnard (plus acrylics and oils by Gail Richardson)
WHEN: Friday, Nov. 9; 5:30-7 p.m.
WHERE: Rosenzweig Arts Center, 501 Main St., Columbus (662-328-2787)
ADMISSION: Free
Jan Swoope is the Lifestyles Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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