Robert deJonge (Artist-in-Residence, 2011)

The view looking out onto a large lake from inside a lighthouse with glass windows
Rock Harbor Light

Photo used with permission from Robert deJonge

Isle Royale Reflection

"I had expectations that found realization on the island.

• Yes, beautiful grand landscapes of basalt, granite, relentless water, resilient vegetation, and infinite skies.
• The serenity of being unplugged — with loons, wolves, wind and waves making music through the night.
• Trails that took me to magical places of mosses, lichens, ponds, and ancient trees — places where time stood still.

The unexpected brought delight, fun, and things that I will always carry with me.

• New friends that were AIR hosts and support personnel.
• The stories of the people that have lived and worked on the island — leaving pieces of their lives for me to discover.
• Intimate environments where plants and animals have adapted, thrived, and reproduced — places where you would least expect them to do so.
• The mice friends that skittered in the cabin walls to let me know that this was their home too.
• Watching the aurora light up the night sky with wonder."

- Robert deJonge, November 2019

 
A lake scene with a large ferry on the bottom third of image, with northern lights in green and pink on the top two thirds. The ferry's light reflects off the water.
Isle Royale Harbor Lights

Photo used with permission from Robert deJonge

About the Artist

Robert deJonge was an Isle Royale Artist-in-Residence from August 26th to September 10th, 2011. He is a native Michigander who has been working as a designer and photographer/digital imager for over forty years. He graduated from Calvin University in Grand Rapids with a degree in art (1978). He has studied with noted photographers, Ernst Haas, Freeman Patterson, Stephen Johnson, and John Paul Caponigro.

In addition to Isle Royale, he has participated in four other artist-in-residence programs — Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Acadia National Park, Petrified Forest National Park, and Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park. In 2019, he received both a juried award and People’s Choice Award at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts — West Michigan Area Fine Arts Show. You can view Robert's images of Isle Royale and beyond on his personal webpage or at the Uptown Gallery in Holland, Michigan.


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Last updated: December 17, 2019

Contact Info

Mailing Address:

800 East Lakeshore Drive
Houghton, MI 49931

Phone:

906 482-0984

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