By Barbara Arnstein
The new exhibit at Springville’s Art’s Cafe features impressive images of nature taken by David Lawrence Reade, photographer and author, which are some of the most popular of those he sells at art festivals. All of his artwork at the Cafe is available for sale, and this June he will be exhibiting and selling his images at the 68th Allentown Arts Festival in Buffalo, N.Y. The festival will take place Saturday, June 14th and Sunday, June 15th, from 11am-6pm. His images at the Cafe include spectacular views from mountaintops in the Adirondacks, scenic spots in the Canadian Rockies, a snowy scene in Allegany State Park and other beautifully wild sights. Each one has an interesting tale of adventure behind it. “I have been in love with nature ever since my father started taking me on hikes when I was a kid”, said David. “So it’s only natural that I love sharing my knowledge of nature with people through my images and books”. The exhibit of museum-quality gallery wraps is entitled, “Where’d You Take That?”, because it’s the question festival visitors ask him most often.
One of the images in the exhibit, “New Day Born”, was taken in the High Peaks in the Adirondacks. Describing the difficulty of capturing it, David said, “To take this picture, I had to climb Noonmark Mountain in the dark, by headlamp, to be on top for the sunrise.”. The image is contained in four panels (a tetraptich), which is 35″ by 51″ overall. “The Wave”, depicts a sandstone formation in the Coyote Buttes Wilderness Area, on the border of Arizona and Utah, which requires a difficult hike to reach it. To add to the difficulty of capturing its beauty is the fact that, due to its fragile nature and its fame, visiting there is limited to a few people a day, who must first enter a lottery for the chance to visit it.. But David got there! About its origin, he commented, “This incredible sandstone formation was shaped by erosion. First by water, and more recently, by wind.”. His image of it is available at the Cafe as a 36″ by 56″ triptych (three panels).
Regarding his popular panoramic image of the Buffalo skyline, which he took from a boat, entitled “Queen City Skyline”, David commented, “Luckily I had brought along my infrared-modified camera to capture the city skyline and those incredible clouds”. The piece in the exhibit is 19″ tall and 44″ wide. About his image “Nature’s Fireworks”. taken at Inlet in the Adirondacks, David said, “I joined several dozen other hikers who gathered at the top of Rocky Mountain for the sunset , but as soon as the sun dropped below the horizon, most of them left. I was rewarded for staying with this photo.” It’s 30″ tall by 45″ wide. He captioned “Lone Pine”, taken at Jasper National Park in the Canadian Rockies, with “A mile hike in along Beauty Creek leads the intrepid hiker to striking Stanley Falls”. It’s 36″ by 24″.
David’s best-selling book “Beyond Buffalo! A Photographic Guide to the Secret Natural Wonders of Our Region” sold over 10,000 copies, enough to qualify for the New York Times bestseller list, and he also created two other popular photo books, “The Four Seasons of Letchworth: A Celebration of the Grand Canyon of the East” and “Western New York Wild: Celebrating Our Rich Natural Heritage”.
If you wish you could visit photogenic places with David there to guide you, now is your chance to join those now signing up for his “Off the Beaten Track Photography and Hiking Adventures”. On April 19th, he will be guiding a group through “Fantastic Franklin Gulf”, from 8am-2pm. On May 3rd, he will be taking people to see “The Scenic Sights of Sprague Brook”, also from 8am-2pm, while on May 17th he will be leading a group “Exploring Ancient Allegany”, from 7am-6pm. The first two excursions are $75, and the last is $95. For more information, go to springvillearts.org/events
The exhibit at Art’s Cafe continues until April 26th. The reception will be held on March 27th from 6:30p-8pm. Art’s Cafe is located at 5 East Main Street in Springville, NY. For more information, go to springvillearts.org/sca or call (716) 592-9038.