KELLER — A colorful collection of surreal fish, underwater photography and butterfly art grace the walls at Keller Town Hall this month, showing off David Rickerd’s love for the ocean and nature in an imaginative form.
“Changing Tides" will be on display through the end of the month from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday at 1100 Bear Creek Parkway.The free exhibit includes work from three of Rickerd’s collections, integrating real-life photos with electronic media.Rickerd said documenting nature through photography is important because someday many of the plants or sea life we see today may not exist or could become extinct."I think it’s important that I capture the longevity of the ocean and the value of nature," Rickerd said. "The love of nature, the love of water, it all goes together."Part of his collection at Keller Town Hall shows real-life ocean photography, part shows sea life in a fantasy form, illustrated in photos from national parks and other areas that Rickerd has traveled.His idea for the surreal fish collection was born in the early 1980s during a trip to Capitol Reef National Park in Utah."All the birds and the bugs and the bushes reminded me of being under water," he said. "The sun in the sky that particular day reminded me of the sun under water. I sort of see above and below the ocean is kind of the same, ying and yang."The butterfly art collection is photographic surrealism, painting with photography, with the butterflies representing flight, freedom and the female form.Rickerd was born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1954. He grew up in Michigan where he received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Eastern Michigan University.In 1980, he earned a Masters in Photography at the Rochester Institute of Technology.Before moving to Keller, Rickerd worked in New York City as a freelance photographer doing projects for major publications and advertising agencies and later branched out into electronic art.His underwater photography stems from his visit to the Red Sea, the South Pacific (Micronesia Islands), Galapagos Islands, the Caribbean, Central America (Belize & Honduras) and Mexico. Brenda Wyatt, Keller Public Arts Board chairperson, said Rickerd’s collection offers a new twist and a whole new way to look at things."His show is amazing, he has some unique things," Wyatt said. "He has some very imaginative work in this show." For more information, call 817-743-4000 or go to www.davidrickerd.comSusan McFarland, 817-431-2231 Twitter: @susanmcfarland1
