Prairie to Peak | Aaron Yount & Pamela Cather

February 21 - April 10, 2020
Reception: Friday, March 6, 5-7 PM

Aaron Yount

My project, “East Meets West”, represents my current study of wildlife within the Rocky Mountain range. With this body of work I hope to capture artistic observations of wildlife in its natural state including seasonal behaviors within the region. To accomplish this has required extensive travel and fieldwork over the past five years. From Colorado to Northern Montana, I have experienced memorable moments with wild creatures. Some moments have been memorable because of obvious beauty while others have displayed hardship and a will to endure. My hope is to share these experiences through my art.

Born and raised in rural Illinois, Aaron developed an appreciation for the outdoors. His subject matter ranges from hummingbirds at his studio’s feeders to the great bison herds of Yellowstone’s Lamar Valley in the West. While naturalism and firsthand study of nature are visible in his work, he does not abandon the use of good design and other sound artistic principles.

Following his residency at the Hiram Blauvelt Art Museum, Aaron began painting the wildlife of the Rocky Mountains. “East Meets West” has been the focus of his work since leaving his position at the Blauvelt Museum.

Pamela Cather

I started photographing wildlife when we moved to Lake Bloomington and we found an oasis in the middle of cornfields. The plethora of wildlife, especially the numerous migrating birds in the spring, has mesmerized me.  Life seems slower here.  As a place of peace and relaxation it exhibits God’s hand. I seek the hidden adventure and take time to let the beauty come to me. Once the camera and light are one with God’s creation, I pull the trigger to capture the unique personalities and behavior I see. Then I am compelled to share it with my fellow midwesterners to encourage them to slow down, look around and see what is beyond the cornfields.

Pamela Cather (www.reflectetc.com) is a Master Photographer from Central Illinois whose passion is photographing the wildlife that she sees every day. Cather, a lifelong Midwesterner, is an Indiana native. She has been a portrait photographer for 11 years. She started focusing on wildlife when she moved to Lake Bloomington in 2013 and she saw an American White Pelican for the first time out her own window.

Cather was awarded her Master of Photography degree from the Professional Photographers of America in January of 2018. This degree is awarded for superior photographic skills demonstrated through PPA’s International Photographic Competition, advanced education, and service to the industry. Several of her wildlife images have been included in PPA’s General and prestigious Loan Collections.

“Wildlife of Lake Bloomington” is a presentation Cather gives to local organizations.  She talks about her passion for wildlife photography and shares some of her favorite images taken at or around Lake Bloomington. She discusses how she finds the wildlife, best lighting for creating the moment, and easy creative techniques she uses for photographing wildlife.

Her wildlife images have also been displayed in several locations in Central Illinois, including Scout’s Downtown Cafe, The Community Cancer Center, 2nd Presbyterian Church’s “What’s So Good about Good Friday” Show, BCPA’s Artgasm Gala, Peoria’s New Ronald McDonald House permanent collection and even on the cover of the Gridley Telephone phone book.