#513 Blackfeet Sentries

2009-07-22

Hi everyone-

Today's image started out as an experiment and really ended up looking nothing like what I had set out to do.

I figured out during the process that I did not have the proper components to create what I had in mind. So that will have to wait. I am excited about the prospect of creating something completely new however, so I'm sure you'll be seeing and reading more about that as time goes on.

Back to today's image...

The Blackfeet Sentries stand at the four main entrances to the Blackfeet Nation in northwestern Montana. These larger than life statues were created, on a commission from the Blackfeet Nation, by artist Jay Polite Laber. Jay was born on the Blackfeet reservation but after his families home was destroyed by a flood moved to New Hampshire. Eventually Jay returned home to Montana.

Jay attended college at and is now a professor of art at the Salish Kootenai College in Montana.

The statues are made entirely of cars damaged in the 1963 flood on the reservation. The base on which they stand was created from rocks taken from the walls of a local mission school.

Interestingly I believe it was the mission school that my grandfather attended in his childhood. I am trying to see if I can substantiate that fact.

Have a great day!

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For those of you who might be interested, here is the SOOC version of the image.

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3 comments:

Larry J. Patrick said...

Your post processing really turned this rather ordinary photo into something that I would look at and then study for a while. Good job.

Barry Armer said...

Nice work Brian!

I love the statues and your treatment of them! Thanks also for the backstory!

Cheers!
Barry

Steve Schuenke said...

Yes, really nice postprocessing. Would love to hear a little about your technique for the toning and texturing.