[caption id="attachment_27250" align="alignright" width="200"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-27250" src="http://www.yourislandnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/ARTS-THIBAUT-GALLERY-self-7932-2-200x300.jpg" alt="John Wollwerth" width="200" height="300" /> John Wollwerth[/caption]

John Wollwerth is pleased to present his art work at the Thibault Gallery at 815 Bay Street in downtown Beaufort as the Featured Artist of the Month beginning this coming Friday, Feb. 5th. He is a famous local artist working in digital and infrared photography.

John was born and raised in Long Island, New York. A series of life changes, and a desire to be near family, brought his family to Beaufort about ten years ago. He gave up on the corporate grind, learning along the way that just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should do it. He decided to follow his passion for photography, so he sold his house, moved, and has been taking pictures for a living ever since.

From an early age, John remembers his father taking pictures with his vintage Exacta camera. He died when John was 13 years old, but John inherited his camera and his passion for photography. Where his father was only able to do photography as a hobby, John has been blessed to take photographs for a living. John’s passion has allowed him to meet people he never would have imaged meeting, and go places he never imagined he would go, from the four corners of America, to the Caribbean, Europe, and the most remote parts of Africa.

When people describe John, they might say he’s a little hard to figure out. He has odd tastes in music and literature, and has his own way of thinking through things. He can, on occasion, be a bit A.D.D as well. But people might also agree that he’s an independent thinker, and sees things differently, which is an asset for a photographer. He has a passion to help people see the scene within a scene that normally gets lost. John strives to create compelling images that evoke emotion within the viewer. The greatest compliment he says he’s gotten was when someone says his work made them “weep”. That was a powerful image to have that effect.

John is an award winning photographer, and his work has appeared in numerous publications and websites such as The Washington Post, Coastal Living, and South Carolina Homes and Gardens. He has been featured in The Daily Dozen on National Geographic’s “Your Shot”, and is a regular contributor to Beaufort Lifestyles Magazine. John is based out of Beaufort, South Carolina, but also regularly travels to Kenya, South Sudan, and Ethiopia using his camera to do missionary and humanitarian work. A portion of the proceeds of his African art goes to his work there.

Please join John at the Thibault Gallery for First Friday after Five on February 5th from 5:00 until 8:00 p.m. John will be there to discuss his work and answer any questions.