Photographer Larry Calof is featured artist at Portola Art Gallery in May

“Hidden Treasures of the Bisti Badlands,” a collection of photographic images from Larry Calof’s trip to the Bisti Badlands in New Mexico is the featured exhibit at the Portola Art Gallery (75 Arbor Road) in May. 
A reception for the artist will be held on Saturday, May 18, from 1:00 – 4:00 pm.

The Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness area covers 45,000 acres of rolling badlands just north of Farmington, New Mexico. Time and natural elements have etched a fantasy world of strange rock formations made of sandstone, shale, mudstone, coal, and silt. The weathering of the sandstone formed hoodoos — weathered rock in the form of pinnacles, spires, cap rocks, and other unusual shapes.

This high desert wilderness features a vast landscape of truly other-worldly formations. The area is rich in fossils and petrified wood, and has little vegetation to conceal geological formations. Water is scarce, and there are no trails. Dark night skies offered wonderful images of the Milky Way rising over the hoodoos.

After a successful 30-year career in corporate and securities law, Larry rediscovered his passion for photography. He explains: “I love using natural light and high-quality digital equipment to capture wildlife and landscape images in distinct manners that illuminate their unique characteristics. I try to find an emotional connection with my wildlife subjects. In my landscape photography, I look for light and angles to add magical or mystical perspectives to my images.”

Larry has exhibited and received awards at various local juried art shows, including Los Altos Rotary’s Art in the Park, Filoli, Pacific Art League, and the California Land Trust Gallery

Horses in the Mist by Larry Calof