Jackson Bridges is August Artist of the Month

Bridges photos help put Page, and its surrounding landscapes, on the map.

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The August Artist of the Month at the John Wesley Powell Museum is none other than local Pageite, Jackson Bridges. He will be honored at a reception at the museum this Friday night and throughout the month.


Everybody in town knows him or of him as his work decorates almost every business in Page. People have admired his work across the globe and some have made “pilgrimages” just for a tour and photography lesson from the man himself.


With numerous articles already written about him, there isn’t much of Bridges’ life story that Page residents don’t already know. Yet one thing is for sure; his famous photos helped bring tourism to Page. It is undeniable to all who know him that the man was blessed with an eye for unique landscape photos.


Jackson is widely known for his secrets for taking unique photos of canyon country’s landscapes. He uses subtle techniques such as throwing sand. Those fortunate enough to adventure with him were made privy to those secrets and he has always been welcoming of other photographers.


His favorite tour was the Canyon X tour which is now a booming tourist attraction. One of his favorite spots he dubbed the “Little Wave”, which the Gateway to Canyon Country Magazine featured in their Spring 2015 issue. He always relished the thought of new adventures to seek out the perfect angle.


His wife, Linda Bridges, says he always used to take a few pictures for her because she loved the way nature formed uniquely gnarled trees. Of course Jackson sought those photos in tough to find places. He also loved the later photos he took at the San Francisco Bridge. Several of those photos will be on display as well. Linda told the Chronicle that he spent days on the San Francisco bay waiting for the perfect photo, a quality that he is famous for.


One venue where people could find Jackson, without fail, was the First Friday Night Art Walk. He’s been a regular and also an attraction when he debuted his new photos at his booth.  


The colorful swirls at his booth brought in the tourists and he welcomed all the artists genuinely. When his photos debuted, everybody knew the journey to capture the photo had quite a tale behind it.


“He was fearless. I would see his pictures when he got home and I would ask, ‘How did you get that?’ And he would say; ‘You don’t want to know.’ He was fearless and was always up for anything.” said Linda.


The operative word is “was,” his wife said with some sadness behind it. About three years ago Jackson began to have more noticeable signs of Parkinson’s disease that he couldn’t deny any longer.


He had controlled the tremors before but then his legs began to grow weak, and over the last two years he’s had battles with dementia, which is still in the early stages. He remains lucid about 90 percent of the time but his once-vast knowledge of cameras has all but vanished, said Linda.


When he picks up a camera he still remembers his first love (photography) and the adventures. He still talks about his trips into the hidden pockets in canyon country. Jackson is still bigger than life and all who try to imitate him will keep his vision a legacy.


For now, he spends his time watching the Diamondbacks play and remains humble about his achievements. He makes the occasional appearance to spend time with people socially. Those appearances are few and far between now.


In addition to displays of his past work, Jackson will make an appearance at the Artists of the Month Reception to accept an Art Walk Living Legend award. The Friday Night Art Walk dedicated the 2018 season to him. He is fondly thought of as active participant and the artists of the Art Walk want to thank him as the first Art Walk Living Legend.  
The artist reception is this Friday at 5 p.m.