Chickasaw artist takes viewers on heavenly adventure

OKLAHOMA CITY – Chickasaw photographer Jim Trosper has continued to embark upon trips to scenic locations in Oklahoma and surrounding environs throughout much of the COVID 19 pandemic. "I'm glad the pandemic is settling down, but it really didn't impact my art because my work was available online," he said recently.

That trend holds true even as Trosper takes part in his second in-person art show of 2022 – the Artesian Arts Festival in downtown Sulphur. It gets underway at 9 a.m. June 25 after a two-year hiatus. While the one-day show will reintroduce art lovers to in-person engagement with Chickasaw artists, the Artesian Online Art Market may be enjoyed June 27 to Aug. 1 at ArtesianArtsFestival.com.

"We participated in the Oklahoma City Festival of the Arts in May," Trosper said. "It felt sort of strange but after two years of canceled festivals, it was wonderful to be among people again, visiting and seeing old friends."

In November, Trosper's work will be displayed at Exhibit C, a Chickasaw Nation-owned gallery located in Bricktown near downtown Oklahoma City.

"The Chickasaw Nation has been wonderful to me. It opened up galleries and travel stops so my work could be displayed and enjoyed. The tribe has worked hard to make sure Chickasaw artists remained vital and their art fully supported during the last few years," he added.

The Chickasaw Nation hosts several dedicated art venues and facilities throughout Oklahoma which feature talented First American artisans, including Exhibit C Native Gallery & Gifts, Oklahoma City; Chokma'si Gallery, Ada, ARTesian Gallery and Studios, Aapisa' Art Gallery and Chickasaw Visitors Center, all in Sulphur; Chickasaw Welcome Center, Davis, and Chickasaw Information Center and Chickasaw Council House Museum, Tishomingo. For more information, visit Chickasaw.net.

Trosper will introduce new work at the in-person fest and also on the online market, where prints are available to the throngs of folks who have grown to appreciate his unique eye-toward-the-sky photography skills.

In fact, Trosper said his most appreciated work – titled "Where the Buffalo Roam" – has been surpassed in sales by a similar capture titled "Graze." The new photo shows six bison grazing beneath the Milky Way Galaxy in a 30-second timed exposure that shows both the wonders of earth and the magnificent infinity of the universe.

While nightscapes still lure Trosper, many road trips have inspired him as well. The latest trip – and images are available online for those who may miss the in-person June 25 show – focuses on the White Sands National Monument.

Located in the extreme southeastern tip of New Mexico, it is where footprints estimated to be 23,000 years old have been discovered. It is an ancient anomaly that slowly turned from a lush Eden to a gypsum-infested desert over the course of thousands of years. It shares a tortured relationship with nearby Holloman Air Force Base. The nation's first atomic bomb was tested there in July 1945.

Today, nearly 600,000 Americans visit the site annually and Trosper came away with a photograph titled "Soba,'" or horse, in the Chickasaw language. "We were out touring the white sands and shooting photographs when we saw a guy on horseback in the distance. As he came closer, I asked if we could shoot some photos and I think they turned out very well," Trosper said. "It's a beautiful place but is pretty barren. There is a mountain range behind the rider that provides depth a viewer needs to see how vast the park really is," he said.

On his website, JimTrosper.com, he takes you to the Rocky Mountains, Lake Tahoe, Crested Butte, the Wichita Mountains and into the heavens.

About Artesian Arts Festival

Hosted by the Chickasaw Nation, the Artesian Arts Festival is a celebration of all art expressions.

The one-day event features diverse art media created by elite First American artists, showcased at the Artesian Plaza, 1001 W. First St., in downtown Sulphur, Oklahoma.

Open to the public at no cost, the Artesian Arts Festival welcomed more than 11,000 visitors in 2019, the most recent in-person festival. The Artesian Online Art Market was launched in 2020 and 2021 and will also be available this year.

For more information, visit ArtesianArtsFestival.com or call (580) 272-5525.