The Patient Painter
In a couple of weeks, I'm selling my first ever limited edition landscape from my trip out West! It's a little nerve-racking, because I have no idea what everyone is going to think about the print or the price of it. I can tell you that I will never sell a limited edition piece for a lower price, but before I sell the picture, I thought I would give you a little background about how I took the shot.
First off, my experience at the Grand Canyon was pretty amazing. I was able to take my wife and 3-year-old son along with me, but actually concentrating on taking pictures was a little harder than I thought. First, there were people everywhere! That was expected, but then my son starting having a fit, because he wanted to throw rocks while I was taking pictures. So while one of us was having a beautiful moment and taking in the majesty of the Grand Canyon, the other was watching our son, making sure he had a good time :) Still, it was amazing and I was determined to get an awesome shot!
After we walked through the tourist overlooks, we drove east to a couple more overlooks, where we found some trails that went off the beaten path! With my 3-year-old son in my arms, I jumped from rock to rock, looking for the perfect place to set up. I wanted to be alone with my family, but still have an amazing view to watch the sunset. We found the perfect spot, and I set up my tripod and took some amazing sunset pictures! But this particular picture had not been taken yet.
About 2000 feet away, I saw another spot that I would like to get to, but there was no way I could take my son with me, so Rhonda watched him as I headed down the stretch with tripod and camera in hand! The sun was about to completely set, but there was still enough beautiful light to be captured. I finally got to my spot and the view above is what I saw! It was amazing! I could finally see the majestic Colorado River and I couldn't believe what was happening in front of me! The colors of the Grand Canyon all of a sudden started to change! Every second the sun kept fading, but the colors were getting more vibrant! It's one of those moments where you start getting goosebumps while taking the shot.
It only lasted for 3-4 minutes, but it was breathtaking. I stayed down there for about 15 more minutes, and when I tried to find my way back up, it was getting dark fast! I actually had a tough time finding my way back, but I could still see my family and did eventually get back safe and sound.
Since releasing this picture as my choice for the first Limited Edition piece, I've had a couple people ask me, Why this piece? Honestly, because I'm a random person and I always go with my gut. I thought this was an amazing shot, but I loved that it was a vertical shot! Everyone has a horizontal landscape in their house and I thought this might be a little different. Once I put it on Facebook and started crowdsourcing names, I started seeing the shot in a completely different light!
I've prayed from the very beginning that I could glorify God through my landscape work and so when the name "The Patient Painter" was created by the help of people on Facebook, I knew it was perfect for what I was trying to convey!
I hope you LOVE this piece! It takes my breath away every time I look at it. I am so thankful that all of you are interested in my work. Taking landscape pictures helps me to clear my mind, explore the world with my family and see all the amazing things that God has created.
I will only be making 20- 20x30" prints of "The Patient Painter" on metal. When it sells out, there will be no more in that size.
Thank you for your support :)
Joe