Wild art: Mike Lewandowski exhibit

I stopped by the reception for Mike Lewandowski’s exhibit of his photography at The Edge Coffee House in Crete this afternoon after sledding with our youngest two kids at the Goodenow Grove Nature Preserve.

A couple things struck me.

First, they serve a good hot chocolate after a cold afternoon of sledding and make some sandwiches that smell good.

Second, I came to Lewandowski, a boilermaker from Highland, Ind., through his photographs of the nesting bald eagles on the Little Cal in Indiana and other wildlife photography.

But where I feel his soul coming through in his photographs are those images related to religious themes or graveyards.

What I find interesting about the good photos of religious themes is that in no way does Lewandowski consider himself overly religious.

But his eye and camera sure seem to gravitate toward hard-core religious imagery. His photos of the very old St. Joseph Church in Hammond, Ind. pull at me.

It certainly seems apt to have religious-themed photographs at The Edge Coffee House, which is part of a growing trend toward Christian coffee houses.

But I do love the nature and wildlife photographs Lewandowski does. His signature photo of a chipmunk caught the eye of my kids, almost as much as the Virgin Mary images.

And his life history of the bald eagles on the Little Cal, even captured the interest of my kids.

His photographs are on display through December at The Edge Coffee House, 1366 Main in Crete.