Today we’d like to introduce you to Brooke Welch.
Brooke, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
BW Photography Studio started in Aug of ’18 when my husband and I moved back West after two long careers in corporate America. My affinity for art developed at a young age and I have a degree in Art History from CU, Denver.
I distinctly remember the music that accompanied each era and culture I studied. I loved listening to African beats that twisted wild color and vibrations into the works I studied. The baroque music brought to life the painters of the seventeenth century. While meditative music subtly encouraged me to follow the zen-like brushstrokes across beautifully made paper. It is this experience that brings my photography through the camera lens and into a three-dimensional medium of music, brushstroke and history. Art has always been my passion and photography has always been the medium that I personally gravitated to most.
Upon moving back to the mountains in ’18, the idea of capturing images that spoke about the American West really resonated with me and motivated me to capture that subject matter. My goal is to show the agricultural face of Routt County, Colorado; to give a voice to the animals that support the local farms and show the people that live and work here.
So why the American West and its subject matter?
I grew up in Denver and spent the majority of my childhood in or around the mountains. My godparents own a ranch in Cripple Creek, had horses, and godmother was also a rodeo heeler. The Stock Show was something I never missed growing up. To this day it is still one of my favorite things to do.
When I was little and had to dress up or pick someone to study in grade school, I was the following:
– Eleanor Stewart Pruitt, a pioneer woman, I used to read her memoirs out loud.
– Charles M Russell, iconic western artist, I even wore makeup to make my face look old.
I would visit the Colorado History museum on my own in Art School and just sit, surrounded by old books from the early days of the state, staring out at the mountains. My favorite art pieces that I own are all Western artists. I wake up every morning to a massive Comanche painting with a rifle and his counting coo displayed all over his face. He has traveled everywhere with me, new home to new home. He is my husband’s favorite painting now, too.
Today, I find myself working with local designers, ranchers and families here in Steamboat Springs to bring about my vision and help tell the story of this community though modern western art or “mountain modern” as I call it and family photography.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It actually has been a smooth road. It has allowed me to connect with the community on a deeper level and really understand the cultural heritage of the area. I have been able to work with everyone from a local five generation owned western business to a booming western boutique, to photographing a Highland cattle bull which was a National Western Stock Show Reserve Champion and has sired many of the hobby farms here in Routt County. I have also had the pleasure of working with local interior designers to help add beautiful local art to custom homes. Most recently, I was apart of the Young Guns Reception at the National Western, which I am still pinching myself about….and will soon have a few pieces in Cherry Creek in the coming new year. It’s been an amazing ride thus far.
Please tell us about BW Photography Studio.
I specialize in capturing the agricultural face of Routt County, Colorado. I also work with local businesses to help build their photography footprint. As of April, I have added family photography into the portfolio.
What sets me apart is how I want to capture the images for my art, specifically:
Because of my Art History background, in each piece, I want to hear the vibrations of African color, the movement of meditative painting and the story of western photography that is deep-rooted from my past and where I truly find the inspiration for combining craft and culture.
My love of vibrant colors and sensitive brushstrokes inspire me to create pieces that are both untamed and subdued. My love of photography motivates me to discover compositions in the post process that energize the viewer. The goal with each piece is to experiment with medium ambiguity and blur the boundaries between what is expected and what is imagined.
I am most proud of the journey I have started on and the potential for the future, and what all of these facets might bring about. With art you are always improving, so I am excited for the next steps in this business venture.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.bwphotographystudio.com/
- Phone: 9708461009
- Email: brooke@bwphotographystudio.com
- Instagram: @_brookewel
- Other: BW Photography Studio
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