Darren Mahuron – Summit Studios
Sometimes I get so busy trying to find art in the world outside my own bubble, that I forget to share the amazing art that’s going on around me. Darren Mahuron of Summit Studios is a local Fort Collins photographer that is a great photographer in the traditional sense whose work is anything but traditional. He chooses to create a scene the way he sees it instead of capturing something he happened to see in real life. He then amps up the emotions of the piece by applying his characteristic look to his work in Photoshop and often by stitching together many photos to create one final piece of art. We asked him a couple questions that we thought you might like to know.
What is your process behind setting the stage for your fine art pieces?
Often it starts with an image in my mind and the story sort of builds itself around it. Sometimes instead I will take a concept from literature or music and attempt to create a visual representation of the story.
Your finished pieces get a lot of their personality from the hours you spend in photoshop after the photo shoot is over. What would you say the average number of photoshop hours is for each piece?
I would say most pieces average 4-6 hrs, although I easily have 20+ hours in a few of my pieces. I treat each image as if it were going to be enlarged to a 5 ft print, so I’m meticulous when it comes to any cut-out or detail that might be seen at that size.
Aside from the photoshop work, you obviously have to have amazing photos to begin with. Are you self-taught or did you study photography?
Thanks. I am self taught. I grew up treating each class in school as if it were art. I drew all the time. I never took photography before the invention of photoshop because the photos that were coming out at that time were pretty boring; b&w railroad tracks, doorknobs, spiderwebs. I came across Photoshop and an SLR camera in 2004 and fell in love. The ability to treat photography more like a painting really appealed to me. I began shooting professionally in 2005 and haven’t looked back.
Outside of your work, you are also the curator/landlord of Gallery Underground… how did that come into existence?
I started the gallery in 2007 because I felt like their was a definite lack of alternative art in the galleries in Fort Collins. Lots of aspen trees and cowboy paintings, which is fine, it sells, but I wanted a place to house some of the more creative local work. People who were pushing the boundaries of original art. Artists like Ryan Guilame and Amanda Marie. Their work was hanging primarily in coffee shops or bars at the time.
How would you describe Gallery Underground?
It’s now morphed into sort of a bohemian bubble that houses 15 resident artists, many of which work out of the gallery on a daily basis, as well as displaying their art to the public each first Friday. I believe visiting an art gallery shouldn’t be an intimidating or stuffy experience, so twice a month we open our doors and try to create more of a fun atmosphere that opens a dialogue between the artists and the supportive art fans of Fort Collins.
What are you working on right now that you’re most excited about?
I’m working on a series of photos from traditional nursery rhymes, some of which take an edgy turn. I will be displaying those at an upcoming First Friday opening so the locals who come out will have a chance to see them before they are offered online.
Outside of taking pictures, what do you most enjoy to do?
Riding my bike and hanging out with my amazing wife and daughters.
Anything else that you think we should know?
Life is only a dream and we are the imagination of ourselves. ~Bill Hicks
Make sure to check out Summit Style to see more images from Darren.
Tags: Art, darren mahuron, photography, summit studios
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Great find, cant wait to see his new work
Yeah when you visit we will definitely have to check out his studio!
LOVE Darren. . . he is one of FtCollins finest!!
[...] The Morningbird Collective is the brainchild of working artists Suzanne and Bumpas. Together, they’ve created a “bird house” to house and display great artwork and designs by fresh folks around the globe. they do original interviews as well, such as this interview with our local celebrity and fantastic photographer Darren Mahuron. [...]