A man of many interests, R. Christopher Vest arrived at his art opening with five dogs, a sheep, and a case of his home-brewed beer.
A Friday gathering at Spruce Tree Coffee House featured a beer tasting and the artwork of Vest, who runs an animal rescue on Summit Ridge.
While some may argue photography is a documentary medium, Vest sees artistic value in altering photographs.
What does Pixar do? What does Lord of the Rings do?, he said referring to the digital animation company and Peter Jacksons film. To save a little money, they can digitally create. Why not? Its inevitable.
Vest discusses a photo-secessionist movement started by Alfred Stieglitz in the Late 1800s and early 1900s. The local photographer utilizes modern technology to take digital photos, which he alters using Adobe Photoshop and sketches over using a digital pencil and tablet.
Vest said he is simply carrying on the philosophy of the photo secessionists.
They manipulated photographs to get artistic legitimacy for what was thought to be just a mechanical documentary medium, he said. And they created fabulous work.
He describes his photography as lacking, and unable to compete with contemporary wildlife photographers.
I had to find a different niche, he said. I love texture. I love the impressions color, swirls and noise.
Local landmarks and wildlife appear in his work. Through Vests use of Photoshop, subjects and backgrounds can be swapped and pasted with ease.
For example, a heron photographed at Denny Lake in Cortez can be pasted over a background of the Colorado River near Moab.
Some of Vests work can contain 30 layers of images, he said.
Originally from Kansas City, Vest has done screen printing in Germany, Israel, Virginia and Ohio. Eventually, he was able to move to Colorado and telecommute to work.
Once I left Ohio, I worked here a couple of years and got laid off, he said. I quickly had a lot of time on my hands, so I started to make a bid for commercial artist.
Vest also brews his own beer and runs a nonprofit animal rescue. He said proceeds from his art work go to the animal rescue.
Vests work will be on display for the rest of the month at Spruce Tree Coffee House in Cortez and can also be viewed online at rchristophervest.imagekind.com/store/default.aspx
Reach Reid Wright at reidw@cortezjournal.com.