Photographer celebrates Sisters

Noted photographer Hadley McCann will celebrate his return to the Sisters Country arts community on Friday, April 19, from 5 to 7 p.m. at a casual reception in his Sisters studio at Sisters Art Works (SAW). McCann's favorite images of the Metolius Basin will be on display.

The Metolius is a favorite subject for the photographer, who has traveled and shot extensively around the world.

"The Metolius River has been one of my favorite spots in the whole world," McCann told The Nugget. "It's been a place I've always come back to wherever I've been."

And McCann has been around. He had a distinguished career with the FBI, and spent the past five years working as director of global security investigations for the Walt Disney Company, a position that offered international travel.

That travel is reflected in his art - cityscapes shot from Europe to Asia.

But McCann's artistic spirit is always drawn to the outdoors, where he has been most at home since childhood.

"I grew up outdoors," he said. "I mean, that's all I did -be outdoors."

He's "been shooting forever," he says, recalling that he submitted photos to the Chicago Sun-Times when he was 13 or 14 years old (they didn't take anything).

"I got far more serious about it (photography) when I got more time to devote to it and moved to Sisters," he said.

Looking for a place to land late in his career, McCann deeply researched Central Oregon. He says he probably drove over every bit of Deschutes County. It was Sisters that spoke to him. The natural beauty of the surrounding country was part of it, but it was also a culture that appealed to him - with an active arts community and a citizenry that is always ready to pitch in to make good things happen.

"It's not a typical small town," he says.

McCann's show at SAW will run through June 9, featuring about a dozen photographs. Some of them are printed on metal in a process that produces exceptionally vibrant colors. He also loves printing on canvas.

McCann strives for a sense of texture in his images.

"It's almost like layers of fabric, trying to get depth in the picture," he said.

Explore his photos via the web at www.hadleymccann.com. Sisters Art Works is located at 204 W. Adams Ave. in Sisters.

Author Bio

Jim Cornelius, Editor in Chief

Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.

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