terrel / lifted spirit photos
my name is terrel and i'm an alcoholic.
as a recovering alcoholic, you'll see much of both my alcoholism and my trip into and through recovery in my photographs. i love melancholic scenes in nature and the feeling of solitude in landscapes - the solitary tree, a lone cloud in a blue sky, a single peak towering above others around it. melancholy and isolation are feelings i became very familiar and comfortable with throughout my struggles in life and alcoholism. in recovery, i've learned to be humble at all times, and therefore am drawn to scenes that remind me to be humble and how important humility is. scenes that offer serenity, peace and quiet move me as well - a reminder of how much quieter my life is in recovery as well as a reminder of how hectic my life was prior to recovery. finally, being of service to others is an aspect that's been hugely important in my recovery. as such, and due to my love of the natural world, i've also begun to focus on conservation photography in an effort to inform the public of things in nature that need our collective attention.
i don't often photograph with wide angle lenses, as do many landscape photographers - i prefer creating a feeling of intimacy between the viewer and my subject. i adore black and white landscape images as i feel i have a bit more artistic leeway in black and whites and can add drama as well, but i'll use color when it enhances the image or my expression of my feelings upon seeing the scene in the photograph. my images are representations of what i felt at that moment - you will not see a different sky added to my image, i don't photoshop birds, humans or items of interest into an image that lacks interest. i will take artistic freedom for some things, i will make some processing choices that help lead the viewer to the subject and away from the distractions, but for the most part, i'll do so while attempting evoke in you the feelings i felt in the moment the image was taken.
all of my images lift my spirit - they cause my spirit to jump upon viewing the image. i hope they offer the same excitement in you.
terrel
lifted spirit photos
gallery showings and awards
night lights denver (CPAC juried show) - projected onto Daniels and Fisher Clocktower in downtown denver during evenings in march; march 2023
d’art and friends (members show with invited artists) - d’art gallery, denver, co; december 2022 - january 2023
elements - solo show - d’art gallery, denver, co; sept - oct 2022
d’art3 (members show) - d’art gallery, denver, co; july - august 2022
exploring the light (juried show juried by Dawn Wilson) - lone tree arts center, lone tree, co; march 2022 - may 2022
revering nature (dual exhibition with Leigh Cabell) - artists on santa fe, denver, co; march 2022 - may 2022
d’art and friends (members show with invited artists) - d’art gallery, denver, co; december 2021 - february 2022
simply small 3 (members art market show) - d’art gallery, denver, co; november 2021 - january 2022
meditations in nature - solo show - d’art gallery, denver, co; october - november 2021
take two (members show) - d’art gallery, denver, co; july - august 2021
solo show - gallery 1505 / colorado local art museum, denver, co; august 2021
northern colorado regional photography show (juried show) - lincoln gallery, fort collins, co; april - june 2021
photography: your vision (juried show juried by Maureen Ruddy Burkhart) - d’art gallery, denver, co; april - may 2021
emerge (juried show juried by Mary Voelz Chandler) - d’art gallery, denver, co; dec 2020 - jan 2021
turning leaves of fall (juried show) - r gallery, boulder, co; oct - nov 2020
hydrodynamics (dual exhibition with Jenn Merz Color Queen) - gallery east, denver, co; august - october 2020
pressing matter (invitation) - payge gallery, denver, co; march - april 2020
monochrome (juried show) - r gallery, boulder, co; feb - march 2020
land / scape (juried show) - specto art space, harrisonburg, va; september 2019
field work: landscape and architecture (juried show) - black box gallery, portland, or; july 2019
colorado delerium (juried show) - the evergreen gallery, evergreen, co; march 2019
opportunity cost (dual exhibition with Kat Payge) - kat payge art, denver, co; february 2019
beginnings (juried show) - kat payge art, denver, co; september 2018
spring juried show - gallery 1505, denver, co; 2018
publications
shots magazine - fall 2020 : open theme
public installations
halcyon hotel - denver, co; 2022 - current
workshops / presentations
cyanotypes - presentation on the process and creation of digital negatives as part of the pressing matter show at payge gallery in denver, co - april 18, 2020
affiliations / memberships
2021 - present: D’art gallery co-op member
2019 - 2020: NANPA (North American Nature Photography Association) member
2019 - present: NatureFirst member
2018 - present: Colorado Photographic Art Center
gallery representation
gallery 1505 - denver, co