An article about Phil Grout’s critically acclaimed show appeared in the Carroll Eagle on November 7, 2010

8/8/2019 An article about Phil Grout’s critically acclaimed show appeared in the Carroll Eagle on November 7, 2010

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/an-article-about-phil-grouts-critically-acclaimed-show-appeared-in-the-carroll 1/4

An article about Grout’s critically acclaimed show appeared in the Carroll Eagle on November 7, 2010 p#1

An article about Grout’s critically acclaimed show appeared in the CarrollEagle on November 7, 2010

Phil Grout art exhibition ends at Birdie's Cafe Gallery in Westminster Maryland

By Kevin Dayhoff

January 4, 2011 http://kevindayhoffart.blogspot.com/2011/01/phil-grout-art-exhibition-ends-at.html

LABELS: Art Artists, Art Artists Grout Phil, Art Off Track Art, People Joseph Sherri Hosfeld,Photography, Westminster Art Culture Artists, Westminster Bus Birdies's

Phil Grout’s exhibition at Birdie's CafeGallery in Westminster ended on January2, 2011 after a well-received two-monthshowing.

Grout, an award-winning photojournalist,

fine art photographer appeared for theopening of a retrospective show of his

work on November 5, 2010 at Birdie'sCafé 233 East Main Street, Westminster,MD 21157 -http://www.birdiescoffee.com/

The show titled “44/40,” spanned overfour decades of Grout’s work, fromVietnam to Africa, Plains Georgia, toCarroll County; and includes almost 70 pieces of work. (See also:http://www.scribd.com/doc/41131999/Phil-Grout-award-winning-photojournalist-to-appear-at-Birdie%E2%80%99s-Cafe-Gallery-in-Westminster)

An article about Grout’s critically acclaimed show appeared in the Carroll Eagle on November7, 2010. The article may be found at:http://www.explorecarroll.com/community/4918/photojournalist-phil-grout-shows-decades-

work-birdies-caf/

At that time, Sherri Hosfeld Joseph, the owner of Birdie’sand an artist herself, added, “Phil Grout is one of thegreatest photojournalists of his generation. We are trulyblessed as a community that he has chosen our stories todocument. Phil has an amazing ability to find theextraordinary in everyday life - and this show, aretrospective of forty-four years of his work, will leave you

awestruck.”

Photojournalist Phil Grout shows decades of work at Birdie'sCafe in Westminster

Exhibit runs through Dec. 31

By Kevin Dayhoff, [email protected]




Posted 11/07/10 http://www.explorecarroll.com/community/4918/photojournalist-phil-grout-shows-decades-work-birdies-caf/

(Enlarge) Phil Grout of Finksburg has worked throughout North, South and Central America,Asia and Africa gathering images for newspapers, magazines, wire services, and bookpublishers.

(Enlarge) Phil Grout works in blacksmithing. (Submitted photo)

Phil Grout, an award-winning photojournalist, fine art photographer appeared for the openingof a retrospective show of his work at Birdie's Cafe Gallery in Westminster, this evening.

The show titled “44/40,” spans over four decades of Grout's work, from Vietnam to Africa, PlainsGeorgia, to Carroll County; and includes almost 70pieces of work.

Since 1966 Grout has worked throughout North,South and Central America, Asia and Africa

gathering images for newspapers, magazines, wireservices, and book publishers.

Through his Web site and via e-mail interview, Groutsaid he “started to learn his craft as a photographerin 1966 working as a photojournalist for the U.S.Navy covering naval operations in Vietnam.

“But I quickly learned it wasn't the images of war I was hunting, but more the face of humanity as Iroamed the back alleys of Saigon; Hong Kong;Sasebo, Japan and Olongopo, Philippines.”

With pictures and words Grout, “became a gathererof the threads which bind us together as human beings.”

After the war, Grout “came home and settled in rural Maryland with his wife, Mary Lou, and worked for nearly 10 years as a photographer, reporter, and editor for the Hanover EveningSun in Westminster.”

Since moving to Carroll County, Grout has authored three critically acclaimed photo essaybooks. His work has been awarded by the Associated Press as well as various artsorganizations. It has also been featured in art galleries throughout the United States.”

According to Grout, “I fell in love with this land and its people who worked the land in my newrural home. That love pulled me away to Plains, Ga., in the late 70s to complete my first book

as I lived in an abandoned sharecropper's home near President Jimmy Carter's farm, andlearned first hand the rigors of working the land and documenting the “tillers of the soil.”

His first venture into the book world won him national critical acclaim, including recognitionfrom Publisher's Weekly which called A Spell in Plains “a triumph.”

In the 1980's Grout took his camera throughout the developing world in Africa, Asia, LatinAmerica, and India documenting the work of various relief organizations.




A second book of photography, “Seeds of Hope,” “grew from the splinters left in the wake of ahurricane which cut a path through Nicaraguain 1988,” recalled Grout.Grout then went on to live in Ghana, WestAfrica in 2002, with an extended family of cocoa farmers to create his latest book,

“Harvest of Hope,” a portrait of those who toilto bring us chocolate.

Grout, who is also an avid gardener, isconstantly pushing the artistic envelope insearch of new and innovative ways to tell astory, over the past four decades he hasexplored drawing, blacksmithing,

woodworking, papermaking, and newphotographic processes in photography.

In a May 21, 1995 article in the BaltimoreSun, he credited his father, Gerald C. Grout, for his interest in art and photography.

“He's the one who really got me into photography. He was a physician and a fine photographer.He had his own darkroom, and I used to watch him,” Grout told Sun writer, Ellie Baublitz.

At the time, the article in 1995 described Grout's show at the Carroll County Arts Center, alsoa retrospective, “Jubilee: A Photographic Retrospective.”

“Like his father, Mr. Grout has a studio and darkroom in his Westminster home, where hedevelops prints, standard photos as well as what he calls 'photoglyphs' and an even newerimage using handmade paper,” wrote Baublitz in 1995.

“His photographs capture people, animals, and nature, mostly in black and white, few in color,some as photoglyphs.

The photoglyphs are a relatively newmethod of developing prints that Mr.Grout discovered while experimenting

with chemicals,” observed Baublitz.

“For those who have the time, Mr.Grout can tell the story behind (eachof) his photographs.”

Indeed, his photographs all tell a shortphilosophical story about Grout's

worldwide travels in the four decades of

a life rich in storytelling andexperiences.

Grout is “Good picture shooter and a colleague in journalism… (We worked together) starting inthe Navy and then at the Hanover Evening Sun… I have three or four walls covered with his

work in my home…. (I) recommend you stop by and see his stuff,” said Carroll CountyCommissioner and fellow Vietnam veteran, Dean Minnich

Sherri Hosfeld Joseph, the owner of Birdie's and an artist and critically acclaimedphotographer herself, added, “Phil Grout is one of the greatest photojournalists of his




generation. We are truly blessed as acommunity that he has chosen ourstories to document. Phil has an amazingability to find the extraordinary ineveryday life - and this show, aretrospective of forty-four years of his

work, will leave you awestruck.”

After his work in Africa, Phil returned tohis first love, photojournalism, andnewspapers in 2006, freelancing forPatuxent Publishing and its string of papers in central Maryland. His photoillustrations regularly appear in CarrollMagazine as well.

Phil's photography and reporting havebeen awarded by the Associated Press,Maryland-Delaware-D.C. Press

Association as well as various artsorganizations.

An opening reception for the artist washeld at Birdie's Cafe, 233 E. Main St., Westminster, Nov. 5. The exhibition will remain throughFriday, December 31.

For more information and to see an extensive collection of Grout's work go to www.philgrout.com or Birdie's Café at http://www.birdiescoffee.com/.

Follow explorecarroll.com on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/explorecarroll

On November 6th, 2010, Grout published the following notes and anecdotes about his show,

the art exhibited and his four-decade journey as an artist: “Phil Grout 44/40 in Light.”http://www.scribd.com/doc/46301381/Phil-Grout-art-exhibition-ends-at-Birdie-s-Cafe-Gallery-in-Westminster-Maryland

An extensive collection of Phil's work can be viewed at www.philgrout.com

See also: http://kevindayhoffart.blogspot.com/2010/11/phil-grout-award-winning.html

For additional information: “Birdie's Cafe; has Westminster's MainStreet percolating once again - New cafe opens in place of former PourHouse,” By Kevin Dayhoff Posted 8/08/10 http://t.co/aZ8XWbe

Phil Grout, photographer, Vietnam, veteran, Birdie’s Cage, art, culture,Carroll County, Westminster, Maryland, photojournalist, Dayhoff

[20101107 SCE Photojournalist Phil Grout shows sceked] [20110104Grout art show ends at Birdie's Cafe Gallery] [20101106 Phil Grout

Bio With 44-40 Notes Short] [20110104 Grout art show ends at Birdie's Cafe Gallery][20101101 sdosmKEDprBrief Grout]http://kevindayhoff.tumblr.com/post/2604949711/phil-grout-art-exhibition-ends-at-birdies-cafe-gallery

Documents

An article about Phil Grout’s critically acclaimed show appeared in the Carroll Eagle on November 7, 2010