Dive Underwater with George Jolokai and Patrick Windsor

The artist community in Bend is nothing short of inspiring. We’ve had the pleasure to frame pieces by Mike Putnam, Hadley McCann, Stuart Gordon, Ric Ergenbright, Diane Freudenberg, and so many more. This fall, we are thrilled to join forces with two underwater photographers for a very special evening on November 4. Patrick Windsor and George Jolokai take us on an adventure with each photograph, and completely transport us to a world we can’t enjoy behind our desks. Learn more about the artists and join us on November 4 at 5 pm to meet them in person!

George Jolokai

George Jolokai moved to Bend in 1977, taught locally at COCC for a number of years and has been behind the lens underwater for ten years.

EAS: How did you get started?

GJ: I started diving and photographing underwater ten years ago. In recent years, I have photographed extensively within the Coral Triangle in the South Pacific. (I do not “travel the world”!) Almost any place in that area of the planet is exotic, especially underwater.

EAS: What is one of the most exotic scenes you have ever photographed?

GJ: One of the tops was surfacing from a night dive in Raja Ampat, a remote area of Indonesia we had reached by a Phinisi style schooner. Diving at night had revealed an incredible wealth of things I had never seen before, stunning examples of life’s diversity. Surfacing in the warm Equatorial waters, waiting to be picked up, staring up at the infinity of stars in a dark southern night sky, gently floating on the boundary between amazing worlds would make anyone’s highlight reel.

EAS: What is one piece of advice you would give to someone wanting to try out photography?

GJ: Back when I taught photography at COCC, I used to tell students the toughest part of photography was learning to see photographically. That is, to see a potential subject for how it will look and communicate within a frame as a photograph, not for how it looks to your eye. Oh, and I also told them “practice, practice, practice!”

EAS: Where is your favorite river to fish in Central Oregon?

GJ: I don’t fish–but I do grill a most excellent salmon.

EAS: What is the one piece of equipment, besides your camera, you couldn’t live without?

GJ: My main criteria for destinations seems to be anywhere I don’t need a wetsuit. Dove the Caribbean a lot until 2009 and, since then, have been drawn to Indonesia and the Philippines almost exclusively. Besides my camera, I guess the one piece of gear I couldn’t live without to do this kind of photography would be my regulator!

EAS: What do you hope to inspire with your photographs?

GJ: My underwater images are showing you what we are losing in our oceans; small glimpses of “the big show under the tent.” It is irrelevant what someone’s political view is or their opinion on how we humans are impacting this amazing world. The plain truth is we, humans, are adversely affecting this planet, even in the remotest areas I have photographed in.

Most people will never know what we are losing under the oceans, but some of it will be what you see in my photographs on display. We need to take our selective blinders off to really see what we are losing. After all, we are all interlinked on this big ball. We are all endangered species.

Patrick Windsor

Patrick Windsor has lived in a log cabin on the banks of the Deschutes River, outside of Sunriver, for nearly 30 years. He began his photography interests at COCC in 1988 and hasn’t put the camera down since.

EAS: What is the one piece of equipment, besides your camera, you couldn’t live without?

PW: Along my photographic journey, I picked up a fly rod and a yellow lab for a fishing buddy, neither have left my side.

EAS: What is one of the most exotic scenes you have ever photographed?

PW: My camera and fly rod have taken me to many beautiful locations. From the white sand beaches of Belize to the crystal clear rivers of New Zealand to the mountain peaks of Alaska; I am always in search of the next photo opportunity.

EAS: Do you have anything else for our readers?

PW: If a picture is worth a thousand words, then my photographs speak for me. Come learn more about me at the show on November 4!

Join us on November 4 to meet both of these amazing artists and see several of their pieces. Their collections will be available for viewing and purchase at Eastlake Framing through the end of the year, perfect for a holiday gift. We look forward to seeing you in two weeks!