While our gallery’s doors are closed temporarily due to the Covid-19 Pandemic, Catherine Couturier Gallery is pleased to announce a blog series entitled Safe in the Studio featuring a new gallery artist each week. Our artists will share behind-the-scenes information about specific pieces and offer insight into their artist practice. With each blog post, three works will be highlighted and discounted 20% for one week following the post’s publishing date.
Last week, Catherine Couturier Gallery featured gallery artist Jennifer Schlesinger. This week, the gallery is pleased to present the following post by gallery artist Mitch Dobrowner:
Besides the obvious downsides, self-isolation has had its benefits. There is less traffic and noise from planes and helicopters flying overhead, and I no longer have to waste time waiting in line. But most importantly, I have had the opportunity to spend more time with my family. It is time that I would have never been able to find in the world we used to live in.
Mitch Dobrowner’s home in Lone Pine
During the pandemic, I have isolated myself in my desert home with my family in Lone Pine, California appreciating all that I have and all the good things life has brought me. I appreciate that I have been able to find an art form (photography) that allows me to express how I see the world.
The sight of a storm, the landscapes of the Desert Southwest, and even our man-made urban landscapes have always overwhelmed me. With my photography, I try to capture their stature and prominence in a manner that does them justice.
Helix and Trees, Hendrum, Minnesota, 2017
Every storm has a unique personality. Storms form when very specific conditions come together. Temperature, elevation, humidity, dew point, winds, etc.… all of these elements come together to birth a storm. Once formed, a storm fights to stay alive. Some have violent personalities and die quickly, some live longer and are destructive, and some mature and form to become super cells. No two storms are alike. And though storms can be destructive, I see them as beautiful.
Lightning Strikes, Peckham, Oklahoma, 2016
It is not uncommon for viewers of my storm series to highlight the potential dangers involved with storm chasing. Photography is my personal art form, and the pictures I create reflect what I feel about our planet at the time I click the shutter. While storms are often “scary”, that is not what these images are about. That is not the narrative I want to create. The role of a storm is to stabilize an unstable environment. Once a storm forms and passes through an unstable air mass, the atmosphere is clear (and usually makes for a beautiful day). Focusing on what it takes to create the images is not as important as the images themselves.
Mammatus, Bolton, Kansas, 2016
On a more personal level, photographing storms has helped me grow as both a photographer and as a person. I have worked for extended periods of time in some of the harshest environments. The process has taught me how to quiet my mind and concentrate in times of chaos and confusion, much as we’re experiencing now. Hiking, camping, and getting very little sleep, I learned how to keep my resolve and clear my mind from the daily deluge of information.
My work reflects what is inside of me.
To learn more about Mitch Dobrowner and see more of his work, please visit his Artist Page.
The following three pieces are available to purchase with a 20% discount in each size for the next week. The discount will no longer be applicable on orders made after Thursday, May 14, 2020 at 11:59PM.
Helix and Trees, Hendrum, Minnesota, 2017
14 x 20 inches, edition of 45: $1,200 ($1,500)
20 x30 inches, edition of 45: $2,000 ($2,500)
34 x 50 inches, edition 1 of 5: $5,600 ($7,000)
Lightning Strikes, Peckham, Oklahoma, 2016
14 x 20 inches, edition of 45: $1,200 ($1,500)
20 x 30 inches, edition of 45: $2,000 ($2,500)
34 x 40 inches, edition 3 of 5: $7,200 ($9,000)
Mammatus, Bolton, Kansas, 2016
14 x 20 inches, edition of 40: $1,200 ($1,500)
20 x 30 inches, edition 15 of 40: $2,000 ($2,500)
34 x 50 inches, edition of 5: $7,200 ($9,000)
For purchases or further inquiries, please email us at
gallery@catherinecouturier.com.