THE MAGNIFICENT ART OF U.S. NATIONAL PARKS NOW

To help capture the unparalleled beauty of United States National Parks, the Parks Service offers Artist-in-Residency programs to photographers and artists who have demonstrated excellence. In celebration of the National Parks Centennial, now underway, we are sharing 4 of them with you in this Arts Design BN Daily Fix. Check them out below.

1. KAH-WAI LIN

Photographer Kah-Wai Lin was also awarded Artist-in-Residence at Petrified Forest National Park.

Originally from Malaysia, Lin started working with photography when he was 15 years sold, but he attended medical school in Ukraine and graduate school in Sweden, before pursuing his passion for fine art landscape, travel, and architectural photography, starting in 2012.

Now based in New Jersey, Lin has received over 40 international distinction or honor titles, conferred by photographic societies around the world. He has received over hundred awards at national and international photographic contests and exhibitions, including many gold medals and Best-of-Show Awards

“I have always been in love with nature,” says Lin. “I wanted to capture the beauty of nature in ways that preserve the spirit arising from the scene,” he explains. “Since I moved to USA, I have been fascinated by the unique American landscapes that have now become my main source of inspiration.”

Kah-Wai Lin Photography, LLC specializes in photography education, exhibition and magazine publishing. Lin is also the editor-in-chief of Lightscape Vision Magazine and serves in leadership positions at the Photographic Society of America and Global Photographic Union.

To see more of Lin’s magnificent work, check out his website and Facebook Page.  

2. MATT TUCKER

Matt Tucker is a self-taught landscape and travel photographer based in Kansas. He has traveled extensively throughout North America.

Tucker's artwork is currently represented in fine art galleries in Alaska and Kansas, and has been exhibited in North Carolina, Montana, Arizona, Alaska and Kansas.

Tucker was awarded a National Park Service Artist Residency to focus on the intimate, close-up details of the ancient landscape of Petrified Forest National Park.

To view more of Tucker’s work, visit his website, his Facebook page, and his Etsy shop.

“I am a photographer of all things beautiful,” says Tucker, “but I am particularly drawn to nature's intimate details. Seeking these small, often-overlooked features provides me the opportunity to walk quietly and mindfully with my camera.”

Tucker takes care to notice beauty in all places, and takes the time to absorb what he considers to be “the infinite beauty everywhere.”

3. CAMILLE SEAMAN

Award-winning photographer Camille Seaman was invited to be an Artist in Residence at Denali National Park, in Alaska. She strongly believes in capturing photographs that articulate that humans are not separate from nature.

While Denali is known for its magnificent wild animals, Seaman has also documented her newly forged love affair with the Park's non-wild residents -- its beloved husky dog troupe.

Denali is the only national park in the U.S. to use canine rangers on its millions of acres. The National Park Service has operated a sled dog program here since 1922.

“My time in Denali rewarded me with peaceful solitude, happy dogs, and amazing vistas,” says Seaman. “The images I made during my residency are just the start of what I know will be a life long love affair with the park.”

A TED Talks Senior Fellow and Stanford Knight Fellow, Seaman’s photographs have been featured in National Geographic and TIME magazines. Watch Camille's TED Talk.

Check out this video about Seaman’s mission to capture Denali’s changing landscape and ecosystem.

And check out Seaman’s current Kickstarter Campaign to support her mission to document contemporary culture of almost 1,000 Native American tribes. Seaman, a member of the Shinnecock tribe, aims to show the world “that we are still here, strong, and beautiful in the 21st Century.”

Watch for an upcoming feature on BeautifulNow as we support her work in this important and beautiful project.

4. GLENN RENNELL

Artist Glenn Rennell was also awarded status of Artist-in-Residence at Petrified Forest National Park. Rennell, a native of Maine, brings his beautiful landscape painting to this magnificent iconic park.

“I think of landscape painting as a dance with place and time as my partners,” says Rennell. “It is a search for visual form that, I hope, may express the spirit of place and a sense of the present that looks both to the past and future.”

Rennell is drawn to those places that stir a sense of awe and the sublime. His interpretations of the Park’s landscapes are contemporary and fresh rather than being overly picturesque and sentimental.

Rennell studied at the Rhode Island School of Design, Fort Wright College [BFA 1975], and the University of Massachusetts, Amherst [MFA 1978].

Read more about Beautiful Parks in 10 Gorgeous New Books Celebrating the Glory of National Parks Now and See 10 National Parks With the Most Beautiful Wild Animals Now & Forage & Feast On The Beautiful Bounty of Our National Parks Now.

And check out more beautiful things happening now in BN Arts/Design, Nature/Science, Food/Drink, Place/Time, Mind/Body, and Soul/Impact Daily Fix posts.

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IMAGE CREDITS:

1. Image: by Kah-Wai Lin. Zabriskie Point, Death Valley National Park.
2. Image: by Kah-Wai Lin. Pipe Creek Vista, Grand Canyon National Park.
3. Image: by Kah-Wai Lin. Yavapai Point, Grand Canyon National Park.
4. Image: by Kah-Wai Lin. Dark Hollow Falls, Shenandoah National Park.
5. Image: by Kah-Wai Lin. Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park.
6. Image: by Kah-Wai Lin. Death Valley National Park.
7. Image: by Matt Tucker. Eyes Wide Open. Denali National Park, Alaska.
8. Image: by Matt Tucker. Nanwalek Lagoon. Denali National Park, Alaska.
9. Image: by Matt Tucker. Caribou Antlers. Denali National Park, Alaska.
10. Image: by Camille Seaman. Denali National Park. Alaska.
11. Image: by Camille Seaman. Denali National Park. Alaska.
12. Image: by Camille Seaman. National Park Service Husky Team. Denali National Park. Alaska.
13. Image: by Camille Seaman. National Park Service Husky Team. Denali National Park. Alaska.
14. Image: by Camille Seaman. National Park Service Husky Team member. Denali National Park. Alaska.
15. Image: by Camille Seaman. Denali National Park. Alaska.
16. Image: by Glenn Rennell. Agua Prieta.
17. Image: by Glenn Rennell. Passing Showers.
18. Image: by Glenn Rennell. Kaibab Rising.
19. Image: by Kah-Wai Lin. Bryce Canyon, National Park Utah.
20. Image: by Kah-Wai Lin. Untitled. Paranormal Series.
21. Image: by BN App - Download now!
22. Image: by Kah-Wai Lin. Untitled. Paranormal Series.