Thanks to everyone who came out last week and voted for my photos! It was a big honor to be selected from among all of the great artists.

This image recently was given an Award of Excellence in the Java Jazz ‘n Art competition in New Richmond, Ohio. internationally acknowledged master of wildlife art, John Ruthven was the juror for this show, so this award takes on a special dimension and a huge honor. I grew up in Brown County, Ohio admiring John’s work, as he had a gallery in Georgetown, Ohio. http://www.johnruthvenart.com/

At art shows, I have had others compare it to my favorite artist, Charley Harper. This is a statement to the beauty in it’s simplicity, which was Charley’s forte. His graphic art reduced nature images to their simplest form, yet maintains the character of his subject. He called it “minimal realism.” He would say “I never count the feathers in the wings — I just count the wings.” Again, being compared to this great artists is a huge compliment, and one I don’t take lightly. http://charleyharperartstudio.com/

At art shows around Lexington, this image became quickly known as “Go Big Blue!” as the UK Wildcats fans pointed out that the Blue Jay has all those Cardinals outnumbered. . .

The image was shot at Cincinnati Nature Center early this year. My next popular image was shot just a few feet away, and could be called the rest of the story. “Fox in the Hen House” shows what all those Cardinals were waiting for. . .

Last week I submitted 4 prints to the NSS Print salon at the 2008 Convention in Florida. I was unable to attend due to the Kettering Art on the Commons and the Woodland Arts Fair on the weekends before and after. A friend delivered the prints for me and picked them up afterward. During much of the time Salon was going on, I was working on prints and artwork for the shows and didn’t have time to think about the competition. Friday, saturday, and Sunday were spent in Lexingto at the Woodlan Arts Fair, away from my computer. By the time we got home on Sunday night, I just crashed and didn’t go near my computer.

Monday morning I finaly got around to checking my e-mail and found out I won Best of Show in the B+W Print salon with my image “Cathedral Chasm”! My image, “Ick! Oil and Water Don’t Mix” received an honorable mention.

Though it did not place, my favorite image was a portrait of fellow caver, Bill Addington, called “Grizzly Addington.”

My image, “Caves of the Mind” was entered in the color Print Salon.

On, Thursday, July 26th, deep beneath the hills of Indiana, Robert Coomer received his 5th national medal for cave photography. His image, humorously named “Double, Double, Toil and Trouble, Waters Churn, and Cavers Bubble” won the Best of Show medal in the National Speleological Society’s (NSS) B+W Print Salon. This makes his 4th for the B+W print salon, the other was in the Digital Print Salon. His image, “Dance with Light” took 3rd place. Both images were shot in a cave in southern Kentucky.

The following night at an awards dinner, Robert Coomer was name as a Fellow of the NSS. Fellows of the NSS are designated for their efforts over the years to further the goals of the Society through cave exploration, science, conservation, or administration. No more than 10 percent of the NSS members may be Fellows. The current percentage is quite a bit below 10%. Robert Coomer has served as editor, webmaster, and as a board member for the Greater Cincinnati Grotto, the local chapter of the NSS. He has also worked hard to help various non-profit caving groups and cave conservancies.

The awards dinner and photo competition took place during the National Speleological Society’s annual convention which was held this year in Marengo, Indiana. Both ceremonies were held about a half mile deep underground in the Marengo Warehouse & Distribution Center, one of America’s largest underground commercial storage facilities. It was once a large limestone mine and quarry.

Robert Coomer said. “I’m proud, and honored to have received both awards.”

Robert Coomer grew up in Brown County, Ohio and now lives in Batavia. Though locally Robert is know for his images of rural barns and farmscapes from Adams, Brown, and Clermont counties, he has been shooting cave photos for almost 10 years. When asked why he has chosen to take cave photos, he said, “Because it’s a challenge! It’s like being in another world. My images become abstract studies in darkness and light, even though they may quite literally be exactly what I saw. It’s a world very alien to most people. They’ll look at my images and wonder if they are real. Besides being a visual challenge, they are also a logistical one. Because caves are dark by nature, I have to provide my own light. Many times I may have a crew of 3 to 10 other cavers helping me to fulfill my vision, by carrying and holding flashbulbs and other equipment. Without their help, I couldn’t do it.”

Robert goes on to say, “Caves and are very fragile environment and are heavily affected by the world above them. I hope my images will help others to appreciate the beauty that may be just beneath their feet, and consider their environmental impact.” Robert Coomer is a charter member of the Rockcastle Karst Conservancy, an organization to help protect caves and provide cave education in the Rockcastle County area of Kentucky.

If you would like to see more of Robert’s images, visit his website at www.RobertCoomer.com . His prints can be seen and purchased and Row House Gallery in Milford, the Pendleton Art Gallery at Newport on the Levee, or online at www.ArtofOhio.com. On Final Fridays, Robert, his wife Tabka, and their partner Andrea Becker, run CoBe Gallery on the third floor of the Pendleton Art Center.

For more information on caves and caving, visit the NSS website, www.caves.org or the Greater Cincinnati Grotto’s website, www.GCGcavers.com. To learn more about cave conservation, visit www.RKCi.org

Cincinnati Art News Blog

Both the Salon winner and the Fellow award were received at the NSS 2007 national convention at Marengo, Indiana. Both awards ceremonies were held about a 1/2 mile deep in the ground at the Marengo Warehouse & Distribution Center, one of america’s largest underground commercial storage facilities. It was once a large limestone mine/quarry

I had 3 prints accepted to the B+W Print salon, and 5 Prints in the Digital Print Salon. I’ll post more images as time allows.

Sunday at the Wyoming Art Show I won the “Best in Class” award for the Graphics, Photo, Print, and Mixed Media category for my photo, Darkness Rains. This image is from Buddha Christian Cave and was shot a few years ago.

It was a great show, with nice weather, and good sales. We met a lot of people and a got lots of great comments. I’m looking forward to Summerfair next week.

This was also the test run for our new booth design, after a lot of trial and error, we came up with a nice, functional design that showed my images very well. Several other vendors asked where they could buy one.