Jack Dykinga’s work in the nine ancestral lands of North American tribes explores the beauty and vastness of the landscapes of this country that we often forget about living in urban surroundings like Los Angeles.  Dykinga’s work is something not to be forgotten, for the sheer content, and technical and creative quality.  It is art as much as it is news on the state and transformation of our environment.  When I first saw the photographs in the August issue of National Geographic magazine, I liked the photographs.  When I saw the prints in person, I liked them even more.  The colors and the impact took them to another level for me.  All the photographs were taken on film, except for one of the bison roaming.  The print quality is extraordinary and reflects nature in majestic form.

The opening reception of the show is on Nov. 19 at 6:30 p.m. and is free and open to the public with a required RSVP to events@theg2gallery.com.  As well as the opening, there is a presentation by Dykinga on Nov. 20 at 2:30 p.m. that will have considerable luster, as it will include a live performance by Native American dancers.

Dykinga is a great landscape and nature photographer.  His work is not typical and comes from years and years of developing his craft.  I stood there in love with the photograph of the Big Cypress, top photo, and imagined where I would hang it in my home.  It is mesmerizing and inspiring.  You have to see it for your own eyes, as this digital version does not do it justice.  It’s one of those photographs that does not come along that often in this world and the approach Dykinga took is near-perfection.

I like the G2 gallery for what they stand for and what they’re all about. This show, for instance, will benefit the conservation efforts of the InterTribal Sinkyone Wilderness Council.  Drop by the gallery space when you’re in the Abbot Kinney area. Don’t be intimated to walk upstairs to see the work, it’s worth it.

Photos,  from top: Big Cypress, Seminole Tribe, Florida; Fort Peck Assiniboine & Sioux Reservation, in Northeastern Montana.  Buffalo herd in part of the tribe’s 9,000-acre  preserve.