 Mt. Tom, as captured by local photographer, writer and botanist Stephen Ingram. Ingram is one of three artists whose works are being featured in a special show now under way at Inyo Council for the Arts. Photo © Stephen Ingram By Jesse Steele
Inyo Council for the Arts 6-12-2008
The works of three accomplished artists – each with a unique background and style – are currently on display at the Inyo Council for the Arts as part of the ICA’s “Featured Artists” series.
The show runs through Aug. 1, and ICA is holding a reception to commemorate the opening on Friday, June 20, 7-9 p.m., at 137 S. Main St., Bishop.
Each of the three artists – Stephen Ingram, Tom Fujiwara and Michael Cooke – share a love of the spectacular natural beauty of the Eastern Sierra.
Ingram specializes in photography of botanical subjects, clouds, and desert and mountain landscapes, often using plants as important foreground elements.
Ingram’s interest and passion for the natural world was inspired by the wide traveling he did as a high school and college student. While working as a botany graduate student in Monteverde, Costa Rica, and later as an employee of the Research Department at Florida’s Selby Botanical Gardens, Ingram took every available opportunity to photograph tropical forests and plants, and to learn more about nature photography. Research trips to Belize, Costa Rica and Ecuador, as well as access to greenhouses full of exotic tropical plants, provided the images for the beginnings of a stock photo library.
In 1994 Ingram and his wife, Karen Ferrell, moved back to Karen’s hometown in the Eastern Sierra, where he currently works as a photographer, writer and botanist.
Ingram’s photos have been published in numerous books, calendars, field guides, local tourist brochures, note cards and in magazines such as California Wild, Nature’s Best, Outdoor California, Sierra, Sunset and others. Ingram uses 35 mm, 6 x 4.5 medium format, and 6 x 17 panorama format cameras. Some of his prints are exhibited and sold at the ICA Gallery and Mammoth Gallery in The Village. His first book, “Cacti, Agaves and Yuccas of California and Nevada,” was recently published by Cachuma Press.
“Art has always been an interest in my life,” said Tamotsu “Tom” Fujiwara. As a high school senior, he took an art class and was fortunate to participate as one of the illustrators for the year book. Creativity took a back seat as his career in electronics developed during his tour in the military working for the Federal Aviation Admini-stration. Upon retirement, he returned to his interest in art by enrolling in an adult education class in oil painting in Gardena.
When Fujiwara moved to Bishop, he was introduced to transparent watercolors through his instructor Joan Daykins, and it’s been his primary medium to this day. Despite not having any formal art training, he has attended many workshops and has had the great fortune to study along side of many talented artists. These include Howard Rees, Lady Jill Mueller, Tom Fong and the late Peggy Gray. He is a member of the Antelope Valley Allied Arts Association and Inyo Council of Arts. He presently resides in the city of Lancaster with his wife, Cathy, where he is an active volunteer with the Lancaster senior center teaching art classes. He also enjoys traveling, fly fishing, photography and generally scouting for new and original ideas for future paintings.
As a veteran of professional portrait photography, Michael Cooke came to ceramics by chance; a local potter Barbara Manning moved into his neighborhood and as they shared creative energy they quickly became friends. Cooke made his first bowl under Manning’s guidance in 2000 and has continued to explore ceramics ever since. “My creative outlet has always been photography, however the three dimensional aspect of ceramics really interests me,” Cooke said. “I also appreciate the fusion of light in the custom glazes and the organic texture of the clay; the combination of glazes and clay is my unique gift to you.”
The themes of Cooke’s glazes evoke the drama and color of nature. There are plates with rich golden colors shimmering against the warm neutral hues of the “harvest.” The motif of the ridge line of Mt. Tom sings with a glittering deep blue sky. And the “Galaxy” series combines specular light blues against deep fields of violet. There are also plates and mugs with “Ocean” and “middle Earth” themes. All of his glazes are lead-free, dishwasher- and microwave-safe.
His formal education is from Berkeley with a BS in Conservation of Natural Resources and an MA in Environmental Design. Cooke lives in Bishop and may be reached at
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The public is encouraged to attend the June 20 reception and meet these exceptional artists. Live music and light refreshments will further enhance the evening. The artists’ work will be on view in the gallery open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Call (760) 873-8014 for further information about the exhibit or about events sponsored by the Inyo Council for the Arts.
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