Northport, Alabama

It is odd to think that I live just one block from a thriving art community. On the first Thursday of every month, the area celebrates Art Night, an artistic extravaganza drawing people from all walks of life out to stroll from gallery to gallery, wine glasses in hand as they munch on cheese and crackers while viewing the latest offerings from local painters, photographers, sculpters, and mixed media artists. Although this museum is just one of many along the street, it is synonymous with Art Night for a lot of people, due in part to the fact that for the past 30 years it has hosted the annual Kentuck Festival of the Arts, which brings crowds of more than 30,000 to town to see the work of close to 250 artists and has been written about in hundreds of publications.

Our city (which is pretty much made up of the street I live on) is even listed as number 94 in the book “The 100 Best Small Art Towns in America: Creative Communities, Fresh Air, and Affordable Living.” This photo was among several shot for a local magazine slated for publication in December. Looking back, I wish I had made the name of the gallery less prominent. I think it is kind of distracting, but it works well for the story it will illustrate. For those who are curious, this scene is just a few hundred feet from the street scene posted a few days ago and about two blocks from yesterday’s dental laboratory.

A few months ago, I would not have made this photograph. I definitely would not have brought the tripod out for it. I think this is a good example of how the work of other photographers, combined with the challenges of a posting a new photo each day, can really alter your work in a delightfully unexpected way. I owe this image almost completely to the inspiration I receive daily by visiting David J. Nightingale’s wonderful site, Chromasia.