Last week I shipped a piece to Dallas and tomorrow I ship a piece to Denver. It’s gratifying to have my work accepted in major cities. I might even be able to drive to Dallas for the closing reception!

The show in Dallas is called “Animal, Mineral or Vegetable? Overlooked Art National,” and the venue is Denver Metro Arts Contemporary. In their own words, this show features artists whose subject is the still life object, or animal art without the context of the landscape or figure, a category they deem “over-looked.”

“Animal art” is not quite how I view my photographic interactions with creatures, like the osprey above with a giant fish in its talons, but, hey, to be in a show in Dallas, I’ll take it! I encountered this fierce bird on the Creole Nature Trail (Hwy 27) in Cameron Parish and followed it from telephone pole to telephone pole for about a mile. Each time I pulled over and eased got out of my car, the bird spooked and took off again after a few frames.

The last thing I wanted was to over-stress the bird, maybe even cause it to drop its meal. So after about the 4th attempt, I backed off, not sure I had anything to show for the encounter. How gratifying to find this frame once I got the photos onto the computer! Makes me almost weep for joy and in gratitude for the glories of creation.

“Animal, Mineral or Vegetable?” will run at Dallas Metro Arts Contemporary, 1412 14th St, Plano TX, March 23 through April 17, 2021.

What a contrast! From a bird of prey with blood dripping from the fish in its talons to the calm of a misty rain, still water, cypress tree reflections, and a wedge of green and gold grass. Glories of nature, all.

This restorative scene came about on one of my many trips out to Black Bayou Lake NWR seeking relief from the stress of pandemic and escape from the confines of quarantine. It will leave Monroe tomorrow to travel to the D’art Gallery, 900 Santa Fe Drive, Denver. The show is called “Photography: Your Vision”; it opens April 9 and closes May 2, 2021. D’art is an artist-run cooperative gallery.

As usual, these works are for sale through the galleries conducting the shows. Click on the name of the gallery above to go to their respective websites.