Sacred Headwaters reception this Friday
Carr Clifton (Photos: Carr Clifton)
In a world of advancing technologies, an age-old question remains: At what cost does progress come? Few such struggles are as evident as one taking place in northern British Columbia. Home to Canada’s most important salmon rivers, the Stikine, Skeena and Nass, the Sacred Headwaters are being threatened by large scale industrial development, including copper strip mines and coal-methane gas extraction. This very real threat has left many people wondering if any amount of methane gas can compensate for the sacrifice of a natural treasure.
Now through March, Bishop’s Mountain Light Gallery will host a guest exhibit by photographer Carr Clifton chronicling the splendor of the Sacred Headwaters. A public artist’s reception and booksigning will be held at the gallery, 106 S. Main St., Bishop, on Friday, Jan. 13, 5:30-8:30 p.m.
Clifton’s exhibit comes from his recent collaboration with Wade Davis, an acclaimed writer, photographer, filmmaker and National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence for the book, The Sacred Headwaters: The Fight to Save the Stikine, Skeena and Nass Rivers. The book is a comprehensive portrait of the Sacred Headwaters giving voice to the historical, cultural and ecological significance of this region.
Clifton served as the book’s principle photographer with additional imagery by Claudio Contreras, Paul Colangelo and Joe Rils, members of the International League of Conservation Photographers (iLCP). Trekking hundreds of miles of backcountry trails and roads, and logging ten helicopter flights, Clifton captured some of the most beautiful and endangered lands in North America, covering a vast and mostly roadless area of approximately 150,000 square miles. From aerials of the region’s rivers and valleys, to the remote lakes, mountains and glaciers, this collection of remarkable images conveys the importance of protecting this extraordinary place.
Old Landlocked Oxbows Along the Craig River, Iskut River Valley, Coast Mountains, British Columbia, Canada
The exhibit features 32 of Clifton’s fine art prints from his best images from the project and is aptly titled, “Nine Weeks in the Sacred Headwaters.”
For Clifton, photography is not so much the art of photographing, but rather the art of seeing. “Finding inspiration and creativity in the solitude of remote locations, I use camera and film as the final step in this seeing process, embedding lines, shapes, colors and textures into the rectangle. If my seeing has been successful, the subject becomes secondary to this process, ” Clifton says. “My intention is to create an artistic, poetic image and like musical score without lyrics, it doesn’t tell a story, but creates a feeling within us. My challenge is to compose a photograph that is both artistically unique and has a profound affect on the viewer.”
A native Californian living in the northern Sierra Nevada near Taylorsville, Clifton began photographing in 1977 after seeking advice and inspiration from his mentor and neighbor, master landscape photographer Philip Hyde. After graduating from Colorado Mountain College in Glenwood Springs, Colorado with a degree in Commercial Photography, Clifton began his freelance career in photography documenting landscapes from Arctic Alaska to the Amazon Basin in Brazil; from the Queen Charlotte Islands of British Columbia to the hardwood forests of New England.
Best known for his five exhibit format books showcasing his work, Clifton’s portfolio comprises thousands of editorial, corporate and advertising credits and the award-winning documentary, Three Women, Three Hundred Miles. A member of the International League of Conservation Photographers (iLCP), Clifton has worked extensively with international, national and local conservation organizations whose vision, diligence and unswerving commitment have protected some of the last wild, living places. His highly acclaimed book, Wild by Law, was the result of his collaboration with Earth Justice – a visual documentation of the impact environmental law has made on our nation’s institutions and conservation policies.
Exhibitions including Clifton’s prints have been displayed at the Roger Tory Peterson Institute, The Nikon House, The California Academy of Science, San Diego Natural History Museum and Mountain Light Gallery. Recent awards include the Detroit Creative Director’s Silver Caddy Award for outstanding landscape photography in advertising, International Color Awards and the Theodore Roosevelt Association Founders Medal for outstanding expeditionary achievement. Clifton’s fine art prints have been purchased for display by environmental, corporate and private collections worldwide.
“Nine Weeks in the Sacred Headwaters” is open to public viewing at Mountain Light Gallery daily, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
For more information about Carr Clifton, visit CarrClifton.com. For more information about Mountain Light Gallery, visit MountainLight.com or call 760.873.7700. –Mountain Light Press Release
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