“American Panorama” Featured at Wesley Memorial Gallery
June 23, 1996, article two

“Thy rocks and rills, Thy woods and templed hills.” “O beautiful for spacious skies, For amber waves of grain, For purple mountain majesties, Above the fruited plain.”

Those lines from “America” (My Country ‘Tis of Thee) and “America, The Beautiful” are emblematic of how deeply the natural beauty of our country informs the national psyche.

That natural beauty, in all its stunning and diverse forms is the subject of the second photographic exhibit at the Wesley Memorial Gallery, “American Panorama: Images of the American Landscape” by Ric Ergenbright.

From a field of bluebonnets in the Texas hill country to Spark’s Lake in the Oregon Cascades, Ergenbright casts his expert eye over the length and breadth of America and captures the essence of its unique scenery in photographs of startling vividness.

The 12 photographs in the current exhibit also include views of monument Valley, a New Hampshire barn, Death Valley, Washington wheat fields, Michigan’s Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Idaho’s Sawtooth Mountains, and Wyoming’s Tetons.

This presentation differs markedly from the first exhibit, Neil Folberg’s explorations of Jewish synagogues around the world, “And I Shall Dwell Among Them.” Folberg’s exhibit imparted a profound sense of deep spirituality. Ergenbright’s landscapes, primarily evoke a sense of the majesty of America’s natural settings. Some are literally awe-inspiring.

A Los Angeles native, Ric Ergenbright, 52 years old, began his photography career in the dark room of his fathers photographic tour company. He attended the University of New Mexico and the Art Center College of Design. From 1966-69 he did location work for Uncle Sam, a photographer with the Armed Forces Pictorial Center in Europe. Upon his return to civilian life, he operated a photographic travel program until 1983.

Ergenbright’s work is respected throughout the world. Some of his photographs are included in the world touring exhibit, “Odyssey: The Art of Photography at National Geographic, Life, U.S. News & World Report, Adventure Travel and Outdoor Photographer. His pictures also appear in books, national ads, calendars and corporate publications.

Like Folberg’s photographs, Ergenbright’s work benefits from its reproduction with EverColor’s of California new printing process. The photographic negative is scanned into a high resolution digital file which is manipulated for the best color balance, contrast, tonal range and sharpness. Each of the four subtractive primary colors (cyan, magenta, yellow and black) are bonded, exposed and processed one color at a time. Each print uses four layers of color and a finish coating of mat gelatin.

Richard Carter, a principal in EverColor, is a member of the Wesley United Methodist Board of Trustees. The Wesley Memorial Gallery was conceived by Mr. Carter to honor the memory of his father Russell Carter (1892-1967).