Bandon, Oregon will be the idyllic setting for this photography retreat with 3 highly acclaimed photographers Susan Dimock (known for her seascapes), Jackie Kramer (floral), and Kitfox Valentin (creative, storytelling, visionary) along with dancer, movement & yoga instructor, Jessica McCarthy. Four days in a magical land at the seashore with legendary rocks, a garden by the ocean, walls that stand strong against the forces of nature, and a lighthouse which has served as a beacon of hope to seafarers. This will be different from a workshop (in which most of the time is spent on instruction) and also different from a tour (whereby participants would be dropped off and left to their own devices). Instead, our hope is that each of us will take time from our busy lives and the rapid pace that society imposes on us and turn inward, giving ourselves the gift of contemplation. Allowing ourselves the freedom to not just think, but to imagine, to dream, to grow.... To create as much or as little as desired and to walk away feeling refreshed and with a renewed energy for expressing ourselves through visual means. There is no recipe to follow here; it is as individual as you are.
$1425 (meals, transportation, and hotel not included)
$1275 through December 1, 2018
Susan Dimock (Bandon, OR) Susan believes that nature has the capacity to instill hope within the human spirit. I have experienced this in my own life and witnessed it in the lives of countless others during 30 years as a social worker. Susan retired from that career five years ago to focus on a second dream – nature photography. Susan and her husband, Steve, contract with Oregon Coast Visitors Association and South Coast Development Council to capture the natural beauty of the Oregon Coast and to showcase visitors enjoying the area’s resources. Susan is the official photographer for labyrinth sand artist, Denny Dyke, shooting his elaborate, experiential events on Bandon Beach. Another on-going personal project is the development of an in depth portfolio of the Oregon Coast with particular focus on the Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge System. She hopes her images will be used in conservation efforts related to preserving wildlife and our natural environment. www.susandimock.com
Jackie Kramer (St. Augustine, FL) Jackie has been photographing the natural world, with an emphasis on flowers, since the age 16. She has won awards from The International Garden Photographer of the Year (IGPOTY); received Best in Show in 2017 and 2018, and named Competitor of the Year in 2017 by the Jacksonville Professional Photographers Guild. She also received a Silver Medal in the Professional Photographers of America's 2018 International Photographic Competition. Jackie maintains an active Facebook group, Phlorography - Artistic Floral Photography, with over 5,000 passionate floral photographers from around the world. She is committed to supporting other photographers, using photography as a medium to build relationships and enrich other’s lives. Website: https://www.luvblooms.com/
Kitfox Valentin (Portland, OR) Raised in a family of starving artists, Kitfox was a skinny child. a natural calling to the visual arts notwithstanding, he realized at a very young age that the arts were for fun, not for eating, and thus was made a firm decision to be a paleontologist... an archaeologist! or an anthropologist, a marine biologist? by the age of 9 he had to face the fact that those pursuits had no true purchase in the life of young Kitfox. but what then? certainly not the dreaded arts... he ventured forth, in search of inspiration and a calling, not realizing until it was too late, what was sneaking up behind him. Kitfox's specialties fall into one of two realms which could be described as whimsical and beautifully awkward. In the first, Kitfox believes in creating a connection with viewers through whimsical and relatable visuals. Working to develop and express a client's vision, he finds it very rewarding to work in concept development, as well as creative visual execution, to set a line of visual communication. Website: https://photovalentin.com/
Jessica McCarthy (Portland, OR) Jessica's medium is movement. From an early age, she has been curious and invested in exploring and deepening the connection between her mind, body, and spirit through dance. Jessica attended NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, where she received a BFA in Dance and a minor in Psychology. She is also a licensed Mind Body Dancer® yoga teacher. Alongside dancing professionally in NYC, Jessica began to develop her body of work, Luminous Architecture, as her interests in movement and healing began to branch out. Building a diverse private clientele, serving as a yoga consultant for companies like Reuters and the Freedom Institute, hosting monthly women's gatherings, sharing insights through wellness writings, and brewing seasonally supportive elixirs, she has created many avenues of interest for people to explore with her. In 2017, Jessica begin exploring a collaborative vision with her partner. Kitfox Valentín's conceptual fine art photography and video work, Jessica McCarthy's choreography and ritual dance performance, and their shared love for connecting with the wild nature of one's landscape and the wild human spirit within merged to create GROUND+CENTER. www.luminousarchitecture.com