Despairing of the ability of their hyperactive son to succeed in a traditional academic setting, the parents removed him from the last of the private schools that they had sought out. For the next year, the 12-year-old boy daily attended the Panama – Pacific International Exposition - studying its exhibitions. Fascinated with the natural environment, the boy was an inveterate collector of bugs. He haunted the beach around San Francisco Bay. With his father he shared a lively interest in astronomy, viewing the heavens through their telescope. When he was fourteen, the family went to Yosemite, and Ansel Adams was forever changed. He worked at Yosemite for four years that coincided with his initial exploration of photography-first with a brownie camera given to him by his ever-nurturing parents, and then with increasingly sophisticated equipment. Adams built a career paying homage to the epic beauty of the western United States and advocating for its conservation.

Returning to the Source, 8″ x 10″, Photograph, Michael McAreavy / $250 (framed)

These are the sparest outlines of the life and work of Ansel Adams that serve as an inspiration to photographer, Michael McAreavy. McAreavy is quick to point out that he didn’t pick up a camera until fully embarked on a career in the financial services industry. Reading the bio that he provided, I frankly thought it a tad presumptuous to claim such a titan as a model. Then I looked at his work. A profound respect for the land is implicit in each composition. Rugged terrain and dramatic sweeps of mountains and coastline mirror the artist’s admiration for Adams. McAreavy, however, clearly stakes out his own aesthetic territory in his images. Subjects are framed with an acute eye, and the viewer is compelled to wonder how far and how long did the artist need to go and to wait to capture that specific moment. Ultimately, I find that McAreavy is an enormously generous artist. Not unlike his hero, Ansel Adams, Michael McAreavy’s work is so passionately, impeccably executed that its power transcends the individual artist to celebrate the grandeur of his subject.

Shadow Dance, 8″ x 10″, Photograph, Michael McAreavy / $350 (framed) (Also available framed as 4″ x 6″ image, $125)

Michael’s work is featured in the Spring Metro Gallery Tour on Friday, April 3rd from 5 – 8 p.m. The artist is traveling to attend the reception. I hope that you’ll make it a point to visit too!

Draw the Line, 8″ x 10″, Photograph, Michael McAreavy / $250 (framed)
Hymn to the Muse, 8″ x 10″, Photograph, Michael McAreavy / $250 (framed)
Pure, 8″ x 10″, Photograph, Michael McAreavy / $250 (framed)