Bask in the power of light at Fatali Gallery

A Recent Article from THE PARK RECORD STAFF - December 2009

Park City's newest gallery is full of paradoxes. Just walk in and the interior transports you from our winter wonderland into the warm, red-rock feel of Southern Utah and the whispers of the lost Anasazi. The new gallery is Sacred Earth Images at 556 Main Street is a Fatali Gallery by Michael and Morgan Fatali.

The theme of Michael's photography is the power of creation. Paradoxes include that his appreciation for beauty was largely inspired by personal tragedy; his medium is static but it expresses energy; the images are created by exposing film for a fleeting moment, but his development process creates a print that will hold its color for generations.

When Michael talks about his art and his gallery, it's apparent he's been on a journey for the last 25 years. When he talks of the future, it's full of plans for world travel. When he speaks of the metaphysical, it's obvious he's obsessed with the nature and destiny of the soul.

The Sacred Earth Images Fatali Gallery is designed to invite you along on that journey, for a few minutes if you're window shopping or for a lifetime if you purchase an image.

As a teenager, Michael got into photography to document the music that he liked. His mother died of cancer when he was 14. He got two Social Security checks after her death and used them to buy a camera and to equip a dark room. Then like so many artists who came before, he took solace in the slot canyons of the Southwest desert.

"For me photography was a personal journey to heal," he explained. "Photography found me, my passion is not photography but the beauty of creation."

He believes there are healing powers in that beauty and the light that creates it. The Fatalis often donate images to hospices, hospitals and other organizations offering end-of-life care, he said. He believes his purpose is not just to make photographs but to make a difference with them.

He describes light as energy, a spirit and as the power of creation itself. The gallery is set up to introduce visitors to this view of nature to allow a better understanding of Michael's work.

Nothing is digital about his camera, his process or his reproduction. He uses an 8x10-inch plate of film in a camera not drastically different from those used three or four generations ago.

"It's traditional old-school photography, a light box," Morgan explained.

She and Michael often trek over 100 pounds of gear into the wilderness, half of which is the film plates.

Rather than taking 1,000 shots and deciding on his favorites later at the studio, Michael said he spends most of his work time waiting and watching until the light is exactly right.

"I'll spend two weeks at one location for the right moment," he said.

Back at the studio, he uses a development method called the Cibachrome process. Only a handful of artists and archivists in the world still use it because of its difficulty, he said. The large film plates and the process create greater detail, purer colors and the image lasts longer.

"It feels like you're there," he said. "The Cibachrome is a great way to include people in that."

You don't need to have visited the places to understand what is being conveyed with the image, he added.

"People say you can feel the energy in the photographs," Morgan said. "Michael puts people in a different state of consciousness."

It's the goal of the gallery, Michael said, to create an environment to feel the spirit of creation.

The Fatalis will continue to operate their gallery in Springdale at the entrance to Zion National Park. The off season in each town perfectly balances the other. The Fatalis say they chose Park City because so many of their repeat clients were from Summit County and the Salt Lake Valley.

Michael's future projects include an IMAX film and world travel to document sacred places.