Western Artifacts Series

Stephen Johnson Photography, Pacifica Center for the Arts. July 2025.

Dino-Banning-20231226_copies_0003.jpg

http://www.sjphoto.com/copyright.html

20200311_Utah_0183.JPG

http://www.sjphoto.com/copyright.html

20170814_yreka-dragon_0013.JPG

http://www.sjphoto.com/copyright.html

trigger72.jpg

UCP166.jpg

20200310_Utah_0120.JPG

http://www.sjphoto.com/copyright.html

indians-redlake-ed.jpg

20181130_monterey_0008.JPG

http://www.sjphoto.com/copyright.html

20161110_north-coast-california_0009.JPG

http://www.sjphoto.com/copyright.html

20180505_anza-borrego_0041.jpg

http://www.sjphoto.com/copyright.html

20200114_Loretta-Lynns-Kitchen_0001.jpg

http://www.sjphoto.com/copyright.html

20151106_ft-worth_0072.jpg

http://www.sjphoto.com/copyright.html

20150901_maine_0060crop.jpg

http://www.sjphoto.com/copyright.html

Metal Eagle Alaska-ed.jpg

BLM Devil.jpg

Elk Jackson Hole.jpg

Eagle heads dish alaska.jpg

Duke Chainsaw.jpg

Cowboy Bar.jpg

Buffalo.jpg

20151108_texas_0150.jpg

http://www.sjphoto.com/copyright.html

20151111_arizona_0221-222.jpg

20161110_north-coast-california_0062.jpg

http://www.sjphoto.com/copyright.html

20151108_texas_0127.jpg

http://www.sjphoto.com/copyright.html

20170823_lassen_0823.JPG

http://www.sjphoto.com/copyright.html

20210725_Guadalupe_0094.JPG

http://www.sjphoto.com/copyright.html

indian-jewelery-hut-20231226_copies_0009.jpg

http://www.sjphoto.com/copyright.html

Chief-Vernalis.jpg

198808-Alaska-Gas-Station-Hat-9_DSF2173.jpg

from the Western Artifacts Serieshttp://www.sjphoto.com/copyright.html

The Western Artifacts series began in 1982 with the photograph of a Truck Stop Sign in Winnemucca, Nevada. I realized later that I had been noticing these strange and telling landmarks throughout my travels around the American West. Simultaneously both symbols and relics, I was intrigued by how the American West saw itself, drew people to its attractions, protested, left things behind and reached for the completely improbable. It seems almost every site I run across suggests another line of thought.

After finishing the Central Valley exhibit in 1986, I started to concentrate more on photographing these symbols and assembling past work. This has remained an ongoing project and I would appreciate any information of such western wonders your may have come across.

I’ve decided to mount an exhibition of this work Summer of 2025 at Stephen Johnson Photography in my gallery in the Pacifica Center for the Arts. The 22 print exhibition will run through July 2025 with its official Opening Reception Saturday July 12 from 2-5pm.

Western Artifacts installation. July 2025.

Western Artifacts installation. Stephen Johnson Photography. Pacifica Center for the Arts. 2025.

Highway One Coastal Journey: A Field Photography Class

Jul 26

Jul 26, 2025 – Jul 27, 2025

Highway One Coastal Journey: A Field Photography Class

From rocky shorelines to eroded cliffs, long beaches, redwood forests, and small towns, the coastline south of San Francisco in San Mateo County is complex and dramatic. We'll roam the coastal and mountain roads, stopping at state and county parks, and checking out the lunch options along the way. The workshop will be a dynamic combination of a traditional landscape photography workshop while diving deep into the digital age.