Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Tom Mohr, photographer
Tom Mohr with some of his work at his current residence in Colfax.
In September of 2001, Tom Mohr and his wife lived across the street from the World Trade Center in New York.
Working for Dow Jones in the art department for Barron's magazine, he was on vacation on the day the Trade Center buildings were destroyed by hijacked airliners.
Unable to return to their damaged apartment, Mohr later came up with a plan to go on the road.
He and wife Jil left in December of 2002 on a journey that ultimately led them to Colfax. The question of why is answered in a photography exhibit beginning March 1 at The Center.
Mohr's show will incorporate three avenues of his art. Panoramas, including one 24 feet long, gatherings of people such as an annual plowing bee in Whitman County and exploration with color on landscapes.
“I paint with photography,” he said.
On Feb. 7 Mohr was in Manhattan, Kan., at an opening at the Beach Museum of Art for “Veterinarian at Work: A Portrait by Tom Mohr.” The exhibit documents a 12-year period that Mohr followed a large-animal veterinarian as he visited family farms in Kansas.
For his Colfax exhibit, Mohr plans to show about 35 images with 12 panoramas.
In December of 2002, he and Jil quit their jobs and left New York.
“We learned what a fifth-wheel was,” Mohr said.
On the road – driving no faster than 55 mph by Jil's orders – they traveled and he worked along the way.
They parked cars at the Indianapolis 500 and sold See's Candies in malls at Christmastime in Nashville, Tenn., and Titusville, Fla.
They spent six months in Keystone, S.D., as Tom worked as a prep chef while Jil worked in housekeeping for a hotel.
“It was fun to meet a new variety of people,” Mohr said.
They also parked the fifth-wheel and spent two years in Venice, Italy.
The couple met in Brooklyn as students at Pratt Institute and married in 1974.
Last year, in the fifth wheel, after passing through Montana, the Mohrs drove through the Palouse.
“I was having trouble keeping my eyes on the road, I liked the scenery so much,” Tom said.
Later, he and Jil decided to move here for a year.
“I'd like to see what four seasons are like here,” he said.
They rented a house Oct. 1 and Jil has joined a local quilting group.
To prepare for his show, Tom still needs to print more images and complete a display case.
A reception will be held March 10 from 5 p.m. - 7 p.m. for the exhibit running March 1 – April 30.
Garth Meyer is a former Whitman County Gazette reporter.
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