Bryan Schutmaat

I have been looking at Bryan Schutmaat’s work recently and really enjoying his series Western Frieze.

His statement reads:
“From Indians and pioneers who toiled over mountaintops, to carefree families who drove down Route 66, travelers in America have always been inspired by the West—that vast bulge of land whose allure never seems to fade.  Throughout the ages people have had different ideas about what the West represents, but many agree that it harbors a certain mystique born from wilderness.  Though much of the West has been populated, paved over, and commercialized, I believe it still retains this mystique in various forms, and to find it means looking from various perspectives.

Bryan Schutmaat

My body of work, Western Frieze, takes on these perspectives and seeks to update our collective impression of the West by putting forth a vision of Americaʼs landscape that uses roadside culture to convey where the West has been and where itʼs going.  Yet these photos are not meant to be pure documentation of America and its identity, but rather a portrait of what American identity means to me, and by photographing the West—where enigma, nostalgia, and history can be found in everyday scenes—I hope to help
viewers find out what it means to them, whether or not they ever visit these sleepy towns
and loneliest of landscapes for themselves. ”

Bryan Schutmaat

You can see Western Frieze and more of Bryan’s work here.