Meet Your Artist: Rick Spitzer
Get to know your Vail Valley artists
Rick Spitzer/Courtesy photo
The Vail Daily is showcasing area artists in a series called “Meet Your Artist” so you can learn more about those who create and what inspires them. If you are an area artist and would like to be featured in the series, email Tricia Swenson (tswenson@vaildaily.com).
Q: How long have you lived in the valley and what brought you here?
A: As a Colorado native, I moved to the valley in 2001 and was the technology director for Eagle County Schools. I retired from education in 2006.
Q: Where did your passion for art come from?
A: National Geographic and Audubon magazine were my primary influences.
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Q: Describe your style of art.
A: My main passion is wildlife photography, but I also enjoy astrophotography.
Q: Who are your favorite artists?
A: Franz Lanting, Joel Sartore, Amy Gulick, Melissa Groo and others.
Q: Tell us about one of your favorite pieces that you’ve worked on.
A: My favorite photos were also one of my favorite experiences that involved a mountain lion west of Edwards.
Q: Who has helped you along the way? Who/what inspires you?
A: I really enjoyed the work I saw in National Geographic. The effort they put into their work has inspired me to try all kinds of photography and equipment. I have made some equipment to meet my needs as well.
Q: If you weren’t an artist, what would you be doing?
A: My other passion is technology. The technology used to create and edit photographs is really incredible.
Q: What do you hope people take away from your work?
A: I would hope that people would look at my wildlife photos and be challenged to help save the environment and the animals that are in it.
Q: Where is your work shown (a local gallery) or how/where can people view it?
A: I have displayed my work at the Vail Valley Art Guild Gallery, all the county libraries and have had many Vail Daily covers and articles.
Q: Anything else we should have asked, anything else you’d like to share?
A: I do have a concern about where Artificial Intelligence (AI) will take us with fake photos in the future. I frequently see poorly modified photos pass off as real photos, but AI is making it easier to create work. Some photos I have seen that were competition winners were manufactured and not the “real deal.” It is getting more difficult to identify those fakes.
