2019 Nature’s Grandeur Calendar

         Looking for a little bit of Nature’s Inspiration for the upcoming year? Well, I am proud to present my first ever, self-designed Wall Calendar, which I am titling Nature’s Grandeur! I have completely designed every bit of this calendar myself and with the help of a local printing company, I can happily share it with you!

         The calendar is 8.5x11 inches, showcasing the beauty each month of the year has to offer (and with a few exceptions, photographs have been taken in the proper corresponding month, those that aren’t are very close)! I also had some fun researching significant dates and the calendar has several fun, noteworthy (in my opinion) observances to coincide with traditional federal and religious dates.  What about Moon Phases you ask?... Yep got ‘em! Add a little biographical info, Artist Statement tidbits, and a few pics of me doing what I love and that’s it in a nutshell. 

         The 2019 Nature’s Grandeur Wall Calendar is $17.50 flat rate (shipping factored into cost). Just give me a call or shoot me an email to place your order! I am accepting orders until January 11th, to coincide with my Holiday Savings Print sale! Below is the direct link for more information on the Artwork Discounts -

http://www.brandonklinewnp.com/holiday-savings

🌲🎄❄️🌨☃️🎅🎁

Winter Solstice Tidings!

          I sure hope some of you in various parts of the country that see this are having a more Wintery Solstice Day than we are here in Pennsylvania! It is pouring rain and temps are to hit high 50’s, even low 60’s in some parts. I’d gladly trade that in for feet of snow and high teens to low 30’s for this time of year! Oh well, it is to cool back down to closer to average in another day, Christmas looks crisp, and snow is seeming a possibility towards the New Year!

         I know for a lot of folks, Winter just isn’t “your thing” and that is ok. To each their own. Let me impart this upon you though - I have come to feel as I’ve grown older, an appreciation for Winter that rivals the excitement of snow days when I was a kid. What better time of year to allow yourself to slow down, not feel guilty about being cozy on the couch in pajamas reading books and watching movies? Maybe even beside a fireplace if you’re lucky! :-) Winter is a Season for the comforts of home. And at the same time, if you’re an outdoor enthusiast like me, it is a wonderful time to get out and experience peace and solitude like no other. Not to mention keep yourself in great shape for the upcoming Spring! Tell me, how much more comforting can the warmth of home get after a day out in the Winter elements?!

         What can I say, I love the best each Season has to offer... and to me, for Winter, that is cold, snowy, harsh, yet magically beautiful conditions! Something like this, that I, with childlike anticipation, awoke to one fine Christmas Morning! :-)

Wishing you all the Happiest Holidays and a Very Merry Christmas🎄❄️🌕☃️ 

“Christmas Morning”   -   Brandon Kline

Seasons Greetings!

         I hope you all are enjoying the Holiday Season thus far! I would like to apologize as I am releasing this a week later than I had planned. However, I am going to extend the promotion for an extra week than I had planned :-)

         In the spirit of the Holidays, I am happy to announce a print discount promotion and for the first time to the public - calendars! Yes, I do realize it is December 13th and unfortunately, this year, I cannot guarantee the artwork to be under your Christmas Tree for the big morning (unless I get an immediate response/request perhaps). But, I am going to run the deal through January 11th, so you have a full month to weigh out any decisions!

         First, the 2019 Nature’s Grandeur Calendar - $17.50 (flat rate, shipping included in price) If I have your request by this time next week (Thursday December 20th), you should have your calendar in time for the New Year! They will still be available through January 11th as well.

         And second, Prints (both Artist Proof and Limited Edition apply!) -  

Sizes 8x10 and 11x14 - Buy one, get one free! 

Sizes 16x20 up to 40x50 - Buy one, get one 50% off equal or lesser size/or a free 8x10 or 11x14!

Only want or have need/room for one Image - take 30% off!

Want it matted and/or completely Custom Framed - take 30% off!

         So check out the website and/or Use these three direct links for the Photograph Gallery, Print Pricing, Information, and visuals on Framing Styles

http://www.brandonklinewnp.com/gallery/ 

http://www.brandonklinewnp.com/ordering-guide/

http://www.brandonklinewnp.com/about/ 

         Then give me a call or shoot me an email with what speaks to you. And as always, PLEASE feel free to ask any and all questions!!! I want you to understand the Quality of the Artwork, to get Exactly what you want, and to Love it!

My Very Best to You and Yours this Holiday Season, 

Brandon Kline

A nip in the air

         I hope everyone had a wonderful and Happy Thanksgiving this past week/weekend!

         For all of you Northeasterner’s such as myself, how about this crisp late Autumn chill?! It is certainly not unheard of for us, but wow, not even December yet and already some significant snow and blustery cold air! Here in Pennsylvania, we went from a very late Fall color change and leaf loss to abrupt Winter-like weather which really accelerated things quick. We no sooner began to gather our leaves when we were preparing for up to a foot of snow! It is all part of the season, though, and I welcome it.

         I am happy to have enjoyed Autumn to the best extent that I could this year. And now, with Thanksgiving come and gone and December looming, I am preparing a few surprises for this Holiday Season. So keep an eye out for an email early next week, hint hint... ;-)

         Until then, in honor of November - a month when the rapidly shortening days and nip in the air brings the leaves a tumbling down. When we gather our bounties for a great feast and joyous family gatherings.

“When Leaves Come Tumbling Down”   -   Brandon Kline

...to a New Day Dawning

         Fast forward one year from when I captured “Find Your Way” and “Let Your Light Shine”... 

         I was delving deeper into my passion for the natural world than ever before and found myself on my second backpacking adventure. My brother had taken me out for my first experience that April, and boy did I fall in love with everything about it! Itching to get out again, I planned an itinerary in the Autumn for the two of us in Shenandoah National Park. Shenandoah was my first National Park, as I had driven through it on the way to his place that April. I chose it for this backpacking excursion because I really wanted to get out on the trails and into the Wilderness of the Park.

         Looking back on those four days, it is hard to put into words the spectrum of emotions I experienced, both physically and mentally. The diversity of Autumnal beauty we were immersed in as we hiked down and up and down and up in elevation was nothing short of spectacular!

         To say our third day was grueling is putting it mildly. I had planned a hike taking us approximately 8-9 miles while gaining over 2,000 feet of elevation change. As a fairly experienced backpacker now, I have since trekked more daunting tasks. But back then,  it almost broke me. I recall at one point, as we were hiking up the last leg of decent elevation gain on the Appalachian Trail en route to Hawksbill Mt., I was (in my head) yelling at myself to “enjoy this man, you are on the AT for the first time!” My body, dehydrated (as I had sucked through my water early) and exhausted, just wanted to fall over down the cliff side. By the time we got to the spring and then chose our camping area for the night, I was nearly in tears of joy for having made it. 

         I awoke pre-dawn as planned and continued the half-mile to Hawksbill Summit to catch the sunrise. All the aches and pains and struggles were, at the moment of the Sun breaking the horizon, justified into something more grand than I could have imagined. I told my brother, who had met me up there for the moment, that if this photograph came out right I was going to title it “Appreciation”. Appreciation, for what it takes to be out here, for the trials endured and embraced to witness such beauty, for the journey we travel to a new day dawning.

(part 3 of 3) 

 “Appreciation”   -   Brandon Kline

Rapid Progression

         Hey everyone, I just wanted to throw this out there before my next installment... My previous post (A Light in the Dark, part 2 of 3) featuring my photograph “Let Your Light Shine” showed up in my emails junk folder. So, I thought I’d write this in the event that anyone who sees this and perhaps missed one of the two previous, or both, to be sure to check your spam/junk folder! 

          That being said, look for part 3 in another day or two! But in the meantime, since you’re here after all, check this out... if you think things can’t happen fast when it comes to Autumn’s color charge, think again! These are taken 5 days in a row, from this past Thursday(Novemeber 1st) to today(Monday, November 5th). This big, beautiful Norway Maple sits right across the street from my childhood home and has provided many a wonderful memory in all seasons throughout my life :-)

Thursday, November 1st

Friday, November 2nd

Saturday, November 3rd

Sunday, November 4th

Monday, November 5th(wide scene) 

Monday, November 5th(close up) 

A Light in the Dark

         I won’t lie to you. Originally I was going to make part 2 of this idea largely about the historical aspect of my experience in New England this October. But, after realizing I have way to much I’d like to share from those weeks to condense it nicely into one blog, I have decided to save that for a separate idea. And, after reading over my last post, this all plays nicely into spotlighting a seldom featured photograph from my available collection.

         I exposed “Let Your Light Shine” just about two weeks after “Find Your Way”  and wouldn’t you know it, I was beginning to see the light... getting back into nature and what I love to do proved to be precisely what my mental state of mind needed. This scene was not a far drive from my house back then, and I used to love driving over the mountain and back (still do to be honest :-)) during peak Autumn foliage as this area can certainly light it up! 

         On this particular late afternoon, I found myself enjoying this little stretch on the mountainside as a gentle rain was letting up and although the Sun was not shining upon the scene, nature itself provided all the light I could have asked for. The utter brilliance of that Sugar Maple’s inner glow standing out proud amongst a lovely pallete of Autumnal hues in “gloomy” weather struck me so completely with everything else I was working through. 

         It is the light from within that is an iridescent beacon that needs no other source to highlight it. Be yourself, “let your light shine,” and it will guide your way...

(part 2 of 3, to be continued...) 

“Let Your Light Shine”   -   Brandon Kline

The Journey...

         Greetings everyone. Let me preface this by stating that if you are receiving this email it is because you have either signed up for my mailing list via online, at an art festival, or I have obtained it through a purchase or conversation at a festival. If you would like to be removed or compartmentalized into only updates about new image releases/upcoming festivals please just let me know. It is not my intention to bombard you with unwanted mail. It is my intention to share my thoughts on the beauty of the natural world and to keep all interested folks in the loop.  :-)

         That being said, welcome, and I hope this sees everyone enjoying the bounties of Autumn! I am currently trying to settle back into daily life after a beautiful, challenging, and thought-provoking three plus weeks in New England. The experience is reminding me of the deeper meaning behind one of my favorite Autumn photographs - “Find Your Way”.

         I think we can all relate to the fact, that sometimes, and sometimes more often than not, things don’t always go the way we envision or hope that they will play out. But it is in this simple unknowingness that life is so wonderfully exciting. Isn’t it, after all, the journey and not the destination that we ultimately recall with adventurous regale?... 

         When I captured this image years ago, I was “finding my way” through a tumultuous mental time in my life. As I sit here now, despite the seeming clarity of my chosen path combined with the happiness and love surrounding me, there is a realization that striving to grow in any manner will undoubtedly see us continually “finding our way.” Isn’t it these moments though, albeit at times uncomfortable or even eerie, that shape our most defining and beautiful stories?...

 (part 1 of 3, to be continued...)

“Find Your Way”   -   Brandon Kline

Greetings/one more test

         So, for the handful of you who I hope receive this who signed up quite some time ago, I do apologize... Besides being guilty of neglecting this for too long, I recently realized that I had not properly linked my email lists with my campaigns so that you would actually receive my blog posts🤦‍♂️ 

         I think I have figured out the problem and I am sending this test out to a lucky 7 of you whom I know before I add a bunch of people who have been signing up during festivals. All I ask is that if you receive this and can take a second to reply/let me know you have, I will enormously appreciate it!

         I hope this sees everyone well and to get this ship ‘a’ sailing! For your troubles, please enjoy this magnificent, big old Oak tree that stopped me in my tracks this past week while in Mammoth Cave National Park, KY :-)

My best,

Brandon

Testing new list setup

Trying this again... Hello, just sending this out to a few of you to make sure blog and email list are properly linked. If you receive this, please feel free to message me that you have. I appreciate it! :-)

email List test

Hey everyone, just sending out a quick test post to see if my contacts are properly receiving emails. If you see this, a quick note back to let me know would be great appreciated. Thank you and I hope everyone is well!

Brandon

Has it really been a year?!

         My how time flies... here I am at the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts again, my first repeat festival. Yep, it's been a year since I left my life as I knew it for the festival road, my backpack, and the Nation's Park System!

         I've re-imagined my booth once again this season after some feedback from my past couple shows with what is in my means to currently do to create a simpler, less messy, and more elegant look.

         If you find yourself near State College, PA over the next 4 days, stop by and breathe in Mother Nature, I'd love to see you! 

                                         Brandon Kline

Back to business!

          Greetings from Muggy Massachusetts this fine 4th of July weekend folks! If you find yourself near Great Barrington, MA come on out to the Berkshires Arts Festival! And no matter what you are doing, please be safe and have a wonderful weekend!

         And I can't help but share this... a young lady just told me my makes her think of Ansel Adams... Ummmm, WOW!!! I can't think of a much finer compliment than that.

:-) 

                                          Brandon Kline

Tidings from Kansas...

Hello friends,

         It feels it has been quite some time, and  well it has been a couple weeks or so since I last wrote here... for this moment, suffice it to say a lot has happened since I hit the road for Denver in early June! I will post more about the adventures and mishaps on the road next week when I have more down time. Currently I am getting ready to leave a lovely campground at Clinton State Park, Kansas near Kansas City as I make my way back to Pennsylvania.

         But, I just wanted to take a moment to say hi to everyone and a belated Happy Summer Solstice! I say it every year, and I don't plan on ever not, but I absolutely love this time of year, the energy and bounty of life is wonderful for the soul. I hope you all had, and are having, a great beginning to Summer!  

         As for me... I kicked off this plentiful season with my first visit to Rocky Mountain National Park! Camping the night before in Roosevelt National Forest and awaking pre-dawn to the alpenglow on Long's Peak, I made my way into the Park and to the Glacier Gorge Trailhead for roughly 7.5 miles throughout the morning, being caught in a Rocky Mountain daydream...

Three Rivers Art Festival...

Hey everybody! 

         I hope you'be all had a good past week. I was extremely busy preparing for the kickoff to my Summer Festival Season here in Pittsburgh, PA at Three Rivers Arts Festival! 

         It's been such a fun weekend and cool experience! It's been quite some time since I've spent any time in a city and I must say I've been having some nostalgic moments of my younger years living in Philadelphia and being a city person. Here are some pics of my new booth presentation (still a work in progress) and of the festival and area itself. Next weekend, Denver, CO... 

The other side...

         As a boy from the Northeast, when I was younger I always dreamed of seeing California and the Pacific Coast by the city lights of Los Angeles and the Santa Monica mountains as the ideal way to see "the other side" for the first time.  Well a lot changed over the years in terms of the man I have become and what my idea of ideal is.  The mountains, forests, and the call of wilderness has replaced city lights and hustle bustle.  

         This past Summer, at the age of 39, I finally saw the Pacific Ocean for the first time, far away from any lights other than those of the campfires on the beach and the endless sea of stars in the night sky, along the coastline of Olympic National Park... And I wouldn't trade that experience for any other I could have had!  For this boy from the Northeast, here is my first look at "the other side." :-)

         Happy Memorial Day friends, enjoy the kick off to Summertime fun and adventures!!!

                                                                                                        Brandon Kline

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When it hits you...

         This past Summer, in early July, I left my job and my place of living of ten years to pursue my Artwork full-time.  I made my second cross-country adventure in as many years on a leap of faith that I could support myself from the festivals I was going to be doing.  By mid-August, I had two shows under my belt, had just spent 10 days in Glacier National Park and found myself perched on a jagged rock crop outpost in the section of Mount Rainier National Park's backcountry aptly called Sunrise, and yep I was watching the first rays of the morning sun splash the Northeastern face of this noble giant.

         Slowly, it all began to sink in and overcome me.  The craziness of what I was doing, the grandeur of the scene before me, and the overall epic scale of pretty much everything at that moment.  We all take things in differently and it is hard to say how certain situations will affect one person over another.  But when something of such gigantic proportions looms in front of you in the midst of an enormous life upheaval, when it hits you, you'll know!  I took it in for a long while on this morning... And for a long time since. :-)

                                                                                                       Brandon Kline

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What is remembered...

         "Far Away in Montana, hidden from view by clustering mountain-peaks, lies an unmapped northwestern corner - the Crown of the Continent." - George Bird Grinnell, 1901

         Glacier National Park has had my heart from the moment I first laid my eyes upon it's majesty in the Summer of 2013.  I have been there on e separate occasions now and I can't imagine not going every year.  There are many places of indescribable beauty on this Planet, and of those I have been fortunate enough to gaze at with my own eyes, Glacier is special.  There is a spirit here that is undeniable.  Just go there and feel it for yourself.

         I have not put finishing touches on my story with this image just yet, but I'll say this right now - My hike/timing to capture this photograph without doubt put me in a potentially dangerous situation over the most grueling day of mileage I have yet to rack up as a backpacker.  But in the end, it was one of the most spiritual and peaceful experiences on the trail I have had.  I believe that, in the end, what is remembered is the accomplishments and experiences we have had and the obstacles we have overcome.  These will shape our finest memories.

         Here is the first of 3 new images I'll be sharing from my adventures this past year, leading you into the Memorial Day weekend, so keep your eyes open the next few days because you're seeing them here first!  This is just a small section of what you will be standing before if someday you make the hike up to Grinnell Glacier... :-)

                                                                                                                Brandon Kline

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Because the Mountains are Calling...

         I have of late been daydreaming of last Summer's adventures, of the grandeurs of the West, and the spectacles of the East.  Soon, I will be embarking on this years' adventure trail and the nostalgic moments I have of recent memories have been flooding me daily and tingling my spine...  Because of the Spring season, that has been the focused theme of my image posts the past month or so, but next week I will be unveiling 3 new photographs from my time out West last Summer, without doubt some of my proudest work yet.  And so in that spirit, get lost in some Glacier National Park glory...

("First Impressions", "The Rush of Life", "The Mountains Have Called")

         "As we rounded the bend, the soaring mountain peaks and lush green valleys opened up before me.  For the rest of the winding Going-to-the-Sun Road, heading from West Glacier on the way to Logan Pass and the continental divide, I sat speechless in utter awe of the scale of what lay before me… A glorious light glistened throughout the mountains whose peaks seemed to reach into the heavens.  Cascading waterfalls plummeted down from the melting snow of the high elevations where the trees no longer grow, carving their way down through the forests and into the valleys.  As if angels were singing, my first impressions of the West, of our previous five days spent backpacking in Glacier National Park’s wilderness were truly brought into light in the face of this view.

         The hike to Akokola Lake would be my initiation into the Park… Up and down the ridge line through open meadows caused by burns and wildfire giving way to new growth which filled my nose with the delightful scent of fresh pine.  Into deep forest and to the edge of Akokola, the peaks rising to the north, reflected perfectly in its waters, stole my breath.  This was remote wilderness.  The next morning as I walked down to the lake to capture first light kissing the peaks of those mountains, I half expected to see a scene of all of nature’s creatures harmoniously drinking from its shores.

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"First Impressions"

         Over the next four days, my brother, his wife, and I hiked and camped through this wonderland of dense temperate rain forest, soaring mountain peaks, open meadows and pristine lakes, an experience I’ll never forget.  On our last night of backcountry camping, at the head of Bowman Lake, I had perhaps my most beautiful backpacking experience to date… The hike along the water’s edge, peering through thick jungle-like forest to the Caribbean Sea of Bowman’s waters, all in the face of towering Rainbow Peak, Mt. Carter, and Thunderbird Mountain on the opposite side was an enlightenment in itself.  Add to our scenery that we were abruptly caught in a thunder and hail storm, exhilarating the adventure, and only to arrive at the most amazing campsite I have yet to experience at Bowman’s head.  Roaring through the site is a creek of the most milky white water I’ve ever seen.  Flowing to the lake, it meets a bed of magnificent colored stones which all but stop it dead in its tracks, sending the milky creek trickling over rainbow rock into turquoise blue.  The sun began to set as storm clouds cleared and under the moon and stars of big sky country, I lay in my hammock gazing out unto this unbelievable view down the valley before me.  Rocking gently, I listened to the lap of gentle waves hit the shore, lulling me to sleep.

         Naturalist John Muir once wrote that Glacier National Park has “the best care-killing scenery in our continent.”  I thought of these words as well as many others of natural inspiration during this week of escaping the hustle-bustle and cares of daily life to come out into the wilderness and experience the true “rush” of life.

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"The Rush of Life"

            Out here in the high-country, it is Winter, Spring, and Summer all at once.  We hike through snow in July with perfect 80 degree temperatures and mountain goats as friends, meadows bloom and burst with wildflowers, and the mountains which separate our country’s weather carry glaciers feeding into lakes of the most unbelievable turquoise Caribbean blues.  Humbled beyond words on the return hike from the magnificence of Hidden Lake, the culmination of our journey, I knew in my soul that the mountains have called."

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"The Mountains Have Called"

Want to find me at an Arts Festival near you???

         Wow, I can't believe it's almost that time again, but in just about 3 weeks, I'll be back out on the road traveling the Festival circuit!  And I'll probably make a stop or two along the way over the next several months to do what I love to do ;-)  Needless to say, I'm starting to get pretty excited!

         I've just added a new page to the website which will list my lineup for the season...

www.brandonklinewnp/art-festvial-lineup-2017

         Right now, I have 5 lined up and a couple more possibilities to be called off of waitlist as well as several more that I won't know about until notifications come out.  But as soon as I add a show to the list, I'll be updating the page, so keep an eye out!

         Here's the list so far...

Three Rivers Arts Festival - Pittsburgh, PA

Saturday & Sunday June 3rd - 4th from 12:00pm - 8:00pm

Denver Berkeley Park Art & Music Festival - Denver, CO

Saturday June 10th from 9:30am - 7:00pm

Sunday June 11th from 9:30am - 4:00pm

American Art Marketing Berkshires Arts Festival - Great Barrington, MA

Saturday July 1st from 10:00am - 6:00pm

Sunday July 2nd from 10:00am - 6:00pm

Monday July 3rd from 10:00am - 5:00pm

Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts - State College, PA

Thursday through Sunday July 13th - 16th (specific times to come)

Sweet Pea Festival of the Arts - Bozeman, MT

Friday August 4th from 4:00pm - 8:00pm

Saturday August 5th from 10:00am - 6:00pm

Sunday August 6th from 11:00am - 5:00pm

My views during the Sweet Pea Festival last Summer in beautiful Bozeman, MT!