Muskoka landscapes captured in library exhibit
Photographer Bob Winter’s work on display until March 1
MOMENT IN TIME.
Photographer Bob Winter’s exhibit at the Huntsville Public Library covers two walls around the library stacks and is available to viewers during library hours.
Alison Brownlee
HUNTSVILLE – Photographer Bob Winter’s stunning images of natural beauty will line the walls of the Huntsville Public Library for the next month.
Winter, who enjoys snapping landscapes and outdoor scenes, said he chose photographs for the exhibit that were representative of Muskoka’s breath-taking splendour. And he put those photos beside a small sampling of photos he took of the Rocky Mountains.
“To me, Muskoka and the Rocky Mountains are two fabulous places, especially for photography,” he said. “And the light is really cool. It’s quite enjoyable.”
Capturing light is an integral part of Winter’s work. In the biography that accompanies his exhibit, he explains that the “magic of photography lies in plucking a single moment from the living world and freezing it forever.” And that moment is special since a subject will never look the same in ever-changing light, he writes.
There are about 20 of Winter’s photos in the library exhibit, each unique in its interpretation of the natural world. The photographs capture vast landscapes and minute detail, vibrant colour and dynamic black and white, stark beauty and velvety rushing water, abstracts, objects and more.
Winter and his wife moved to Muskoka about three and a half years ago from southern Ontario because they felt it was time for a change. They had family in the area and decided Huntsville would become their new home.
“Muskoka is gorgeous. You literally have four seasons, which gives you different venues for a tremendous number of landscapes subjects,” he said. “And it’s right at your doorstep.”
He said he has spent time at a number of parks in the area capturing the beauty of sunrises, sunsets or cloudy days, among others. And the region’s fall colour is a spectacular subject, he said.
“You can go out most days and find a picture that has some unique Muskoka flavour to it,” said Winter.
But he humbles himself and his work by pointing out his photographs are just one artistic interpretation of the area.
“I’m just one more artist in Muskoka,” he said. “There are so many artists in Muskoka, but this is my expression of how I see the world.”
He said the photographs in the library are only a part of his collection and illustrate only a part of what the region has to offer.
“I had a tough time choosing what to put up there. I could have gone with one theme, but I figured I’d do a little bit of a selection to show people what I see up here,” he said. “Everybody has a different take. It’s so subjective.”
Winter said having his work and the work of other artists shown in the library is a great idea. His is the second such art exhibit the library has hosted.
“It’s an opportunity for artists to show their stuff. And it’s a very unique opportunity because you don’t get those kinds of opportunities in the big city,” he said. “To have a one-person show for a couple months? It’s a fantastic idea.”
Winter’s show began in January and will continue until March 1.
