Bio. Publications, etc.
Thank you for viewing my website – www.bluestemgallery.com. The name -- Bluestem -- is from the native prairie grass, Big Bluestem.
In July 2020, I created my online gallery, a continuous work-in-progress, to highlight my photography. I love to photograph and continue to update the online galleries.
Most of the photographs on the website are for sale. If interested in any, please specify the specific photo of interest via the “contact” section on the website.
- Photos will be printed on an Epson Pro 3880 printer using Epson Ultra Chrome K3 ink.
- Black and white photos will be printed on Red River Paper, Big Bend Baryta 310.
- Color photos will use Epson Premium glossy photo paper.
Framing is also available.
- Photos will be framed using black metal sectional frames (matte finish) with a white or black border, 2” minimum.
- Non-glare Plexiglas will be used to protect the photograph which will help eliminate breakage during shipping, as well as reduce glare from directional lighting.
Michael Holtz
Photographing on the Greek Island of Santorini
Photo by Sallie Bernstein 2007
Michael Holtz Photographer
I started photographing in college and never stopped. Now retired, I’m still trying to anticipate, wait, and capture nature’s perfect lighting on my chosen subject: flora, architecture, funerary art/cemeteries, gardens, cathedrals, or graffiti/street art, and rural and urban landscapes.
Now that I have more time and set up a basic studio, I am creating still life compositions using a homemade lighting box. My garden provides plenty of beautiful subjects to photograph. Learning the theory and the how to of studio lighting has been a challenge. It’s like herding photons.
The challenge for me is using the visual elements and existing and/or studio light to produce a fine art print. In my most recent work, I have focused on the light and shadows (the Chiaroscuro), and its interplay on the subject. My goal is to create a compelling fine art print to hang in my home and hopefully someone else’s home.
Digital cameras and Photoshop have made taking and processing images much easier compared to the film and dark room days, but have not replaced the hard work, study, and knowledge of composition needed to produce fine art prints. I continue to study the work and of my favorite photographers, such as Henri-Cartier-Bresson, Margaret Bourke-White, Dorothea Lang, Edward Steichen, Edward Weston, Ansel Adams, Paul Strand and so many more. Their work always inspires me.
My landscape has been included in Allerton's Paradises, a "coffee table book" of photographs from Allerton Park & Retreat Center near Monticello, IL and Lawai-Kai, part of Kauai's National Tropical Botanical Garden.
Publications
2021 - Robert Allerton: His Parks and Legacies (black and white photos complimenting the book’s captions and text)
2012 - At Home in Central Illinois Magazine, “Splendid Landscapes,” Photographer’s work shows the beauty of Central Illinois
2011 - Allerton’s Paradises , a coffee table book of photography showcasing Allerton Park and Retreat Center near Monticello, Illinois, and Lawai-Kai, on the island of Kauai.
2010 - Robert Allerton: The Private Man and the Public Gifts, (black and white photos complimenting the text, with color photos at the end of the book)
Permanent Collection
Ave Maria, a B & W photograph was purchased by Lisa Walker for the Carl Sandburg College Permanent Collection
Group Exhibitions
2024 - Yeiser Art Center, Paducah, KY: Two Irish Sheep, a B & W photograph was selected for the Art Through the Lens juried exhibition, Sept. 10 thru Nov 9.
2024 – Art St. Louis, St. Louis, MO: Memento Mori - In Rock Island National Cemetery, a B&W photograph was selected for the Remember Death Exhibition, Sept 7 thru Oct. 17. The Jurist were Manda Remmen, artist, Denver Art Museum and Travis Lawrence, artist.
2024 – The Art Gallery (TAG), Los Angeles, CA: An Insulator, a color photograph was selected for the Made in the USA: Let Freedom Ring exhibition, July 24 thru Aug. 9. The Jurist was Edward Goldman, Art Critic and NPR hoist of Art Talk.
2024 – Burnt Sienna Gallery, Galena, Il: Two Irish Sheep, a B & W photo was selected for their opening exhibitions, May 25 thru July 25.
2024 – M. G. Nelson Gallery, Springfield Arts Association, Springfield, IL: A Zinnia, A color photograph was selected for the state wide No Place To Show juried exhibition, July 26 - August 31. The 2-D jurist was Guen Montgomery of the U of I, UC.
2024 - International Photography Hall of Fame and Museum (IPHFM), St. Louis, MO: The Nuptial Steps and Two Irish Sheep, B & W photos were included in their online gallery, exhibiting artist category, 2024 International Photography Competition: B & W/Monochrome. The jurist was William Fields, Photographer, Author and 2024 inductee to the IPHFM Hall of Fame.
2024 – PhotoSpiva, Joplin, MO: Nuptial Steps, a B & W photograph was selected for their annual National Photographic Juried Competition and Exhibition, March 16 –May 4, 2024. The jurist was Richard Tuschman, a renowned photographer and New York Foundation for the Arts Fellow in Photography.
2024 – The Rock Island Art Guild Arts Exhibition, Figge Art Museum, Davenport, Iowa: In the Shadow, a B & W photograph was selected for the juried exhibition, February 17 – June 16, 2024. The jurist was Mia Laufer, Associate Curator at the Des Moines Art Center.
2024 – Galesburg Community Arts Center, Galesburg, IL: Ave Maria, a B & W photograph was selected for GALEX 57, a juried exhibition, March 9 – April 6, 2024. The jurist was Jenny Chi, Professor in the Arts Department at Eastern Illinois University.
2023 – International Photography Hall of Fame and Museum (IPHFM), St. Louis, MO: Boy in Stone, a B & W photo was included in their online gallery, exhibiting artist category, 2023 Open Photography Competition. The jurist was Joyce Tenneson, the author of seventeen photo books and 2023 inductee to the IPHFM Hall of Fame.
2023 – Busey Wealth Management, Urbana, IL: The Angel at Fairvield Cemetery, a B & W photograph was selected for the juried exhibition showcasing local artists in the lobby areas of their Urbana office, September 2023 – July 2024.
2023 – Clara M. Eagle Gallery, Murray State University, Murray, KY: Wife Of, a B & W photograph was included in their annual The Magic Silver Show, September 7 – October 17. The jurist was Frances Jakubek, an image maker, independent curator, and consultant for artist.
2023 - Buchanan Center for the Arts, Monmouth, IL: A Zinnia, a B & W photograph was selected for their National Juried Exhibition, September 19 – November 3. The artist and sculptor Preston Jackson was the jurist.
2023 – Giertz Gallery, Parkland College, Champaign, IL: A Hedgerow a B & W photograph was included in the Around the Block IV: Artists from Our Neighborhood juried exhibition, June 5 – July 26. Christopher Schneberger, assistant professor of photography and gallery director at Vincennes University in Indiana was the jurist.
2023 – M. G. Nelson Gallery, Springfield Arts Association, Springfield, IL: Rows of Corn, A B & W photograph was selected for the No Place To Show juried exhibition, August 9 – August 26. The 2-D jurist was Jorge Lucero, associate professor of Art Education, UICU.
2023 – PhotoSpiva, Joplin, MO: The Irish Sheep, a B & W photograph was selected for their annual National Photographic Juried Competition and Exhibition, March 18 –May 13, 2023. The jurist was Jennifer B. Thoreson, a contemporary visual artist and photographer.
2023 – Galesburg Community Arts Center, Galesburg, IL: In the Shadow, a B & W photograph was selected for GALEX 56, a juried exhibition, April 1 – May 5, 2023. The jurist was Claire Ashley, instructor at the Chicago Art Institute.
2022 – International Photography Hall of Fame and Museum, St. Louis, MO: The Zinnia, a B & W photograph was selected for their Fall Juried Exhibition, December 7 – February 11 2023.
2013 - Illinois and Abroad in Monochrome, an exhibition of 16 photographs at the Illinois Museum of Photography, Urbana, Illinois.
Featured in Photo Magazines
2015 - Black and White Magazine for Collectors of Fine Photography, Portfolio Contest Winners Issue, Merit Award
2021 - Black and White Magazine for Collectors of Fine Photography, Portfolio Contest Winners Issue, Merit Award
2021 - Monovision Photography Awards: Leading Black and White Photography Magazine, Winner in the Fine Art Series Category, Honorable Mentions, Submission Title-Funerary Art
2021 - Our Magnificent Planet: Single-Image Celebration of Lens Works Readers
2015 - Black and White Magazine for Collectors of Fine Photography, Portfolio Contest Winners Issue, Merit Award
Red House Gallery
2011-2014 - Owner and Manager of Red House Gallery in Monticello, Illinois (that showcased my photography and work of other visual artists)
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