In an introductory essay to Scene Shifting, Dan Powell speaks of three early influences that shaped his concept of the American West - growing up in the sage desert of South Central Washington, the impact that the nearby Hanford Atomic Works had on his family and the region, and his father’s stories. These 101 large and medium format images highlight a particular period in Powell’s art practice, the 1980’s and early 90’s, when he photographed in the high desert country of Oregon and Washington and other Western States.  Several images from the Midwest mark his graduate school experience and first teaching position, before he migrated back to the West to teach photography at the University of Oregon.

Powell was interested in the land as a dynamic theater, the constant shifting of events that moved through his view, on and off road.  Powell’s view of the West is broad and diverse, from the visual harmony found in the vastness of space and light, to ironic tensions found through chance and close observation.  In the second essay, “The Geography of a Life,” esteemed curator, historian, and author Keith F. Davis sheds light on the nature and particular qualities of the work, and how it is deeply embedded in Powell’s lifelong experience with the West

Hardcover (black cloth with black lettering), with Dust Jacket, as seen above.

9 1/4 x 11 1/4 in, 131 pages, 101 B&W duotone Images

Print Management by I/O Color, Seattle: Printed and Bound by Artron Art Group, Shenzhen, China

Distributed to the trade by Oregon State University Press.

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