A Creative Affair
About US!
ABOUT THE HOSTS!
Brie Stockwell
After being awarded a “beginning winner” ribbon in the Santa Clara County Fair at age 12, She put down her camera, picked up a flute and went on to study her second love, music. Though she has always owned a camera, it was rarely used as Brie enjoyed a life with an adventurous husband, 4 amazing kids and multiple pets while nurturing creativity through music and various other outlets.
But, in December 2019, she finally "upgraded" her camera and began to explore photography in earnest with the goal of hosting a personal gallery show using a life coach to overcome obstacles including self-doubt and fear of failure. Working on this project through the pandemic has led to massive growth in both her photographic and personal life. Now, as a certified life coach, Brie helps other creatives overcome similar obstacles to dream big, expand their creativity and achieve goals in their personal and business practices. She is currently living in Austin, Texas and continuing to explore her own creativity through her work in nature and landscape photography and is loving the adventure!
Len Metcalf
Len began his obsession for photography in the late sixties when his father gifted him his first camera. Growing up in Australia’s spectacular Blue Mountains provided Len with an endless array of incredible scenes to capture. He particularly loves the light and mood of misty wet landscapes, abundant in that region.
Naturally, Len pursued a Bachelor of Visual Arts in Photography and graduated with straight distinctions, also receiving the coveted award for ‘Most Outstanding Advanced Colour Photographer’. However, education had also captured Len’s attention as he had been teaching Outdoor and Environmental Education to pay his way through University. This other passion coupled with a growing sense of disillusionment with the art world saw Len excel in the world of education for the next 20 years. During this period he undertook a Graduate Diploma in Art Education and a Master’s Degree in Adult Education.
His reunion with photography occurred at the conclusion of a three year lecturing tenure in the Middle East and he found that the love he had for photographing the natural world had flourished while he was otherwise engaged. In 2000 Len opened the Leonard Metcalf Gallery in Katoomba. Visitors to the gallery asked him to teach photography. Combining his flair for both education and photography made perfect sense and hence, Len’s School was created in 2000.
Len has become renowned as a leading photographic educator through teaching, mentoring and facilitating innovative workshops and tours. His exquisite photographs capture diverse Australian landscapes, from arid deserts and windswept coasts to his backyard in the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area. He runs his own photography school, has exhibited widely and writes for photography journals around the world.
