Peter Lik

PETER LIK (Australia, 1959).
"Ocean glow".
Photograph. Limited edition, copy 347/950.
Framed in methacrylate.
Signed and with holographic seal of the artist on the back.
Measurements: 65,5 x 99,5 cm.
Ocean Glow is a view of Maui, Hawaii, a work that the artist has described as follows: "Immersing myself in the ocean brought me closer to the soul of Mother Nature. Like a surfer, I was glued to the surf report for two weeks waiting for something to happen, waiting for the perfect wave. The colors of the sunrise were the key to this photo: I wanted the kaleidoscope to be reflected in the wave. Finally a swell was predicted. That night I gathered my gear and tried to sleep. This new experience was like my first shoot: I barely slept a wink. When the sun came up, my expectations were high: I knew the photo was there. After hours of Mother Nature beating me in the waves, I shot wave after wave like a madman: it was an addiction."
Peter Lik is an Australian photographer known for his images of nature and panoramic landscapes. He hosted the program From the Edge with Peter Lik, which aired for one season on The Weather Channel. Lik was born in Melbourne to Czech parents who emigrated to Australia after World War II. He took his first photo at age 8, when his parents gave him a Kodak Brownie camera for his birthday. In his youth, Lik took his camera on family vacations and photographed country scenes and the ocean. This practice continued on his road trips out of town and into the Australian wilderness, often accompanied by his friend and fellow photographer Michael Plumridge. As a photographer, Lik is self-taught, learning mostly by trial and error. In 1984, Lik made his first trip to the United States, touring the country for a year in an old van. While in Alaska, he was introduced to panoramic cameras and large format photography. Upon his return to Australia, he continued to experiment with the panoramic format. In 1989, Lik returned to the United States and undertook a project to photograph landscapes in all 50 states. He sold some of the photos for use in calendars and postcards. Later, photos from the project were compiled into his 2003 tabletop book, Spirit of America.In the early 1990s, Lik worked for the Queensland (Australia) Department of Tourism, traveling in the Outback and photographing little-known areas. In 1994, he moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, where he opened Lik USA, which includes a workshop for printing and framing his photos. In the mid-1990s, he founded his own publishing company, Lik Publishing. After winning the Art in Nature category of the 2010 Windland Smith Rice International Windland Smith Rice Awards for Best Nature Photography, "Ghost" (taken in Antelope Canyon, Arizona) was selected as part of a May 2011 exhibition of nature photography at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.