Rick Vanderpool. (original) (raw)

Texas Plains Trail Journal

Writer/photographer, Rick Vanderpool has marketed and sold his creative output for nearly 40 years.

Vanderpool graduated from the University of Georgia's Henry W. Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communications in 1975, worked for a year as staff photographer for Callaway Gardens, then opened an art studio in Athens, Georgia, working primarily with corporate interior designers, designing and producing custom wall art programs. Texas had developed as his major market, and in 1993, he relocated his studio to Commerce.

In 2000, Vanderpool published "Looking for Texas" � a unique collection of photos of the state name, at least one from each of Texas' 254 counties, gathered from traveling over 20,000 miles in The Lone Star State, 1994 - 1999. His travel journal, by the same title, was published the following year by Republic of Texas Press.

The success of "Looking for Texas" and subsequent variations of Vanderpool's trademark Texas-themed photographic montage collections, is owed to his varied experience as author, imagist, teacher, event director, newspaper publisher, speaker and entrepreneur.

"Ninety days in TEXAS WINE Country" is Vanderpool's latest montage project � the sixteenth in his series. His print by that title was featured at several exclusive signings as part of Texas Wine Month [October] and beyond, in wineries statewide. It was premiered at the 5th Annual Texas Fall Fest, October 2-4, 2009 in Marble Falls, Spicewood (Spicewood Vineyards) and Tow (Fall Creek Vineyards).

Vanderpool is currently working under contract with the Texas Plains Trail Region, creating a photo-archive for that group's 52-county chunk of "the real Texas."

Writing samples, speaking topics and references are available upon request.

Email: stateart1@earthlink.net

- Rick Vanderpool, April 2010