Surprise Visitor

During the opening of my show of paintings at the Grand Manan Art Gallery on Saturday evening, I had a surprise visitor show up.  As the crowd was thinning out, I glanced across the room and saw the back of this tall man looking thoughtfully at one painting and the next.  I thought, can it be?  He turned. It was! Peter Cunningham!

There he was, one of my favorite people, showing up from New York to celebrate my opening night with me.  Earlier this year, in email exchanges, I mentioned my show of paintings coming up early in June, and Peter said he had been planning to come to Grand Manan about that time, so if it worked out he would like to be there.  And here he was, to join Berneta and me at the show.

To tell you a little about Peter; not only is he an extraordinary photographer, but he has a genuine generosity and a passion for the positive, which makes him an unforgettable person, in a really nice way.  If the world had more people like him, the world would be more like it is supposed to be.

Although Peter lives in New York, where he has had his photography business since the 1970's photgraphing people like Bruce Springsteen and Madonna, he spent many of his growing up summers on Grand Manan and has a passion for the people and the way of life of this Island place.  And he likes to come back to Grand Manan and photograph the day to day lives and oft overlooked details of Island life.

Among my favorites of Peter's work are his "still films", slide shows of his work set to music.  If you enjoy applied creativity, take a few minutes to view the still films to soak up a real essence of Grand Manan life that Peter feels and conveys superbly.