This Was Our Shangri-La Poster

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It was the home of the Nez Perce people, a band led by Old Chief Joseph during the late 19th century. Now we know it as Wallowa Lake in Oregon, an area ringed by mountains and filled with trees. It is a beautiful place, a sacred place, and for many many generations a division of the Nez Perce people called this their summer home.

Old Chief Joseph loved and treasured this land. At one point, in the mid 19th century when the lives of the indigenous people of the West were turning beyond their ability to stop it, Old Chief Joseph brought a Presbyterian missionary, Henry Spalding, to the lake.

Joseph thought Spalding was his friend, a man who saw him as his equal, and he brought him here to show him something most dear to his heart. Because that’s what we do with friends – we share our lives with them.

Spalding, however, was not the friend Joseph thought he was. Standing there, side by side with this great and wise man, Spalding looked out at the landscape and saw...

I am a fine art painter who creates representational images celebrating light, life, and color. A commercial illustrator for more than 20 years, I have been painting for most of my life, and in the last 18 years have focused exclusively on fine art. I celebrate images that invite the viewer to step into the artwork and experience a sense of joy, peace, freedom, encouragement, meditation, and thought. There's a lot of angry art out there, as well as a lot of shallow pop. I choose to use the abilities and experience I have to promote beauty and goodness.