Sensibilities: Douglas Sandquist at the Rasmussen Art Gallery

The department of visual arts at Pacific Union College invites the community to an art exhibit opening reception for photographer Douglas Sandquist on Saturday, Oct. 12, at 7 p.m. The event will take place in the Rasmussen Art Gallery on the college campus, and will feature an artist talk and refreshments. This reception is free and open to the public.

Sandquist attended PUC as a bio-chem major in the early 90s, but was accepted into dental school after his junior year, so he never completed his degree at PUC. He went on to become a dentist back in his hometown of Las Vegas, Nevada, where today he curates the unexpected combination of his dental career and photography.

“Most dental photography is macro photography, but it’s also portrait photography,” Sandquist explains. “I originally wanted to learn how to take better clinical photos, so I delved into learning how to better use a camera, how to compose a shot, and how to work with different lighting. One thing led to another, and I started to enjoy photography outside the office just as much as in it.”

In 2016, a photo Sandquist took in Iceland with his iPhone and shared via Instagram was requested by Apple for use in a worldwide marketing campaign. This resulted in his photograph being used on billboards and in magazines in more than 30 countries around the world.

Today, Sandquist’s photography passions are in the American Southwest and the frozen tundra of Iceland.

“They both shout, ‘How did this happen?’ and I can’t resist capturing that question,” he says.

Sandquist’s show will be displayed in the Rasmussen through Nov. 3. Gallery hours are 2-6:30 p.m. Thursday-Sunday. Admission is always free. For more information about upcoming art exhibits in the Rasmussen, email akcronk@puc.edu. Visit puc.edu/blog for a fascinating Q&A with the artist.