March Gallery 2011 Artist in Pursuit of Beauty

Kevin Merchant had been a photography hobbyist since 1984, capturing scenery and landscape along the southern Oregon coast where his parents live, while he still worked full time in the field of software and electrical engineering. 

Like many inspired artists, though he knew his heart was in art and photography as far back as high school, his practical side convinced him that earning a decent living was important as well -- hense, his foray into science.

Fast forward to 2005 -- Merchant was laid off. He and his wife took this life-changing event and turned it into a positive; they decided that they could live on one income for the time being, and so he lept head-first into his art. "It was the push I needed to get out the door," he said. "It's easy to stay in a comfortable place, but the change was challenging. It still is challenging in this economy."

An outdoors lover who had in the past scaled Mount Rainier and still enjoys hiking to destinations including nearby Tipsoo Lake, Sunrise, and Reflection Lake, Merchant had toyed with the idea of producing stock photography. But as technology improved it became evident that that industry was quickly collapsing with the onset of royalty-free photography as well as the increased numbers of other photography hobbyists who aren't trying to make a living from their work. 

And so in 2006, he invested in a digital camera with a 500 mm telephoto lens and started to pursue a growing fascination with shorebirds. The subjects in his city hall gallery are all birds that can be seen in Washington state -- a favorite photography destination for Merchant is Grays Harbor when the shorebirds pass through in April.

On average, he says, he can take as many as 5,000 shots in a two-week period and come up with perhaps 20 to 30 that he would want to print.

His craft is self-taught, though occasional weekend seminars and the Internet have helped him in refining his art. One piece of equipment he'd never go without: a tripod. "The fewer details you're lazy about, the better your images will be," he said.

Merchant and his wife sell his prints through their retail sales business; 2010 was their first full year of running it and showing his work at various art shows and markets around the state, including Art in the Garden here in Enumclaw.

Constantly marketing his work to galleries keeps him busy, and at times it gets expensive as well when galleries pass their expenses on to the artist. "My income for this business is still at the poverty level," he jokes, adding that he is giving himself five to 10 years to turn a profit and so he's still well within his timeline.

The current economy climate doesn't make it easy. "Art, to a lot of people, is expendable," he said. "I'm hoping that as the economy improves, people will buy my work. Photography in and of itself is rewarding to me. It's why I did it for 20 years."

Click here to read more about Merchant and his work, and visit his website.

Gallery 2011 is located in the council chambers at Enumclaw city hall. Hours for the exhibition space are 8 a. m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. City hall is closed on national holidays. The gallery is closed to the public on Tuesday of each week for municipal court proceedings.