Shawn Gust

Shawn Gust is a photographer currently living in Coer. Shawn searches his surroundings for feelings that trigger memories or thoughts. His images are the result of his reactions to those discoveries. With no formal training in the field, he began working in a professional photofinishing lab and retail camera shop in the 1990’s. This experience allowed him to learn at an increased pace. Mostly self-taught on the job, his skills include traditional black and white and color darkroom technique, modern digital retouching, inkjet printing, and studio photography. From there Shawn went to work as a photojournalist for a 20,000 circulation daily newspaper in Coeur d’Alene. In April 2008, Shawn was named one of fifteen photographers from around the globe to participate in the inaugural year of “Pause, to Begin”. In addition, his photographs have been exhibited in galleries in Tacoma, Los Angeles, Detroit, and Rochester and have been published in numerous magazines, newspapers, and online galleries.

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Well-known artists David Govedare and Rachel Dolezal collaborated with the natural elements during the month of February 2008 to create an environmentally-friendly outdoor installation at the Cougar Bay Preserve that resonates with Andy Goldsworthy’s nature-installation art. The goal of the exhibit was to not only minimize waste, but also to maintain a zero-waste policy whenever possible. The art was made from natural materials, such as snow, water, twigs, and moss, and was fabricated in a way that returns the work to the earth without leaving an impact on animal or plant life. No tools were used to create the work other than the artists’ bodies (e.g., hands, fingernails, teeth) and naturally- occurring “tools” found at the installation site, such as large sticks, rocks, etc. Captured on film by photographer, Shawn Gust, and set to original music by finger-style guitarist, Charles Miller, this beautiful exhibit speaks directly to water and land issues in our region, pointing to the “rights” of both the environment and humans while emphasizing a spirit of cooperation and collaboration between humankind and the earth.

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To view more of Shawn’s work, please visit his website.