Still-life Arrangements

My wife and I have long been a creative team. Teri is skilled in matte-cutting and custom mounting and framing of fine art photography. She is also a master stain-glass worker and an excellent oil painter, designer, and colorist. I am an oil painter, watercolorist, and fine art photographer.

In recent years, Teri and I found ourselves receiving a growing number of invitations to weddings and other celebrations where a gift was expected. We decided that selecting a typical piece of fine art was risky, since tastes differ widely. We scoured the gift shops. We considered simply using the registries. Nothing seemed right.

We wanted to give gifts that were uniquely personal, gifts that would be cherished for a lifetime. Teri conceived of the still-life arrangements to enable us to do this.

These arrangements of still-life images symbolizing a name or expression of commitment were a huge hit. We began receiving letters of heartfelt gratitude for gifts that would be cherished for generations.

Word spread. Friends and friends of friends began asking to buy these heirlooms to hang in their own homes or to give to others. We obliged, happily.

Now we have made these custom art pieces available to the public. We create the still-life images; combine them to form the symbolic statement; and then matte, mount, and frame them. We sign the matte before mounting it behind glass in a sealed frame. Finally, we package and ship to the buyer.

Because each symbolic statement is handmade in this way, orders usually must be received well in advance. Contact Chuck Sale Photography directly for information on prices, ordering, and delivery. See Contact Info.

Chuck Sale
Chuck Sale Photography
Colorado Springs, Colorado

Influences

Many people influence the course of one's life. The people who have influenced mine cannot be named, not because I have forgotten them, but because they are numberless and in many cases entered and left before I could know a name.

Three people stand out in the niche where I developed as a graphic artist and, eventually, a photographer: They are Coni Grant, Charles Movalli, and Don Sahli. There were others, and I apologize for omitting their names here. These three, however, deserve special acknowledgement.

Coni Grant resides and maintains a studio in Alamosa, Colorado. Her paintings are delightful celebrations of color. I began my study with her. We still collaborate sometimes, she as a painter and I as a photographer--searching out places to paint and photograph in Colorado.

Charles Movalli is the second major influence. He taught tempo and spontaniety and joy in painting. He is famous for his wise counsel on art and life as well as for his fine paintings. My time as his student was brief, but the benefits from his teaching will last a lifetime.

Don Sahli lives and maintains a studio and school in Evergreen, Colorado. He took great pains to improve my skills as an oil painter, and he expanded my ability to see and interpret out of the ordinary. His fine work can be found in many prestigious art galleries.

People do not invent themselves. We are all collections of influences that we sculpt, hopefully, into something unique. I think it is important to acknowledge these influences as one might cite a source in a footnote. Until then the sculpting can be hesitant or distorted. Or it might not occur at all.

Chuck Sale
Chuck Sale Photography
Colorado Springs, Colorado