From a young age Robert J. Hurt has been intrigued by the wonders of the natural world and the built environment. He studied architecture at the University of Illinois and received his degree with honors in 1966. Shortly after graduation Hurt was drafted into the army spending a year in Vietnam (1967 - 1968). It was on his tour of duty when Hurt flew to Japan and purchased his first professional Nikon camera system.

Upon returning to the States Hurt initiated his architectural career in Chicago, continuing in Aspen, Colorado, and then in the La Crosse, Wisconsin / Winona, Minnesota area. While balancing career objectives he pursued his instinctive love for nature and landscape photography with energetic enthusiasm.

Portrayed from the ground, water and air Hurt’s work is centered on the natural environment, rural landscape and intriguing aspects of the built environment. In particular, his oblique aerial landscape photography capturing the boundless majesty of the Upper Mississippi River is sought after on a national level.

The significance of his work includes a long list of clients specifically noting the following:

A contract with the U.S. National Aquarium / National Marine Sanctuary Foundation in Washington DC to provide images representing the Upper Mississippi River Valley; his work is exhibited on the Washington DC mall.

In 2001 his work won the national landscape photography competition sponsored jointly by Anheuser-Busch and The Conservation Fund.

In 2003 Hurt completed an event assignment at a 5-day 19-nation international Conference in Santiago, Chili that launched the Latin American School Feeding Network. The conference concluded with an emotional multi-media slide presentation designed to illustrate the convention proceedings long with images of the children and landscapes of Central and South Americas.

85 of Hurt’s fine art photographic prints are on display in the VIP lounge and the 10th floor Cancer Center of Rochester, Minnesota’s world renowned Mayo Clinic Gonda Building constructed and designed “to create an environment that is beautiful to the eye and healing to the body, mind and spirit.” Providing the same visual benefits, 30 of his photos are also displayed in the Franciscan Skemp Healthcare, Center for Advanced Medicine & Surgery in La Crosse, Wisconsin.

Honored with the title of official photographer Hurt providing ground, aerial and water photography for the 11-day / 410 mile / 421-Event / 52-City Grand Excursion 2004 Mississippi River Celebration; a national historic reenactment of the famous 1854 railroad and riverboat excursion.

In addition to creating fine art prints, Hurt provides custom assignment photography, a library of over 150,000 stock images, digital dark room services and the use of his photos in production of spellbinding multimedia slide presentations.

From March 1 through April 15, 2007 over twenty five of Hurts photographs are displayed in the Acoustic Café, Eau Claire, Wisconsin.

On April 28 and 29, 2007 Hurt will be one of 33 artists participating in Southeast Minnesota’s 7th Annual Bluff Country Studio Art Tour www.bluffcountryarttour.com.

I love what I’m doing, the natural environment and the geographic location where I live and work. Whether I’m driving, hiking, snowshoeing, skiing or flying I’m constantly scanning my surroundings and often find myself captivated by the natural treasures that frame my experience. I’m intrigued by the infinite beauties that this world provides, often hidden yet waiting to be discovered; sometimes at my feet, sometimes just beyond the horizon.

I want my images to entice people; to encourage people to reappraise their everyday environment; to look at these beautiful environs with an uplifted perspective; literally from a higher level, to make us all sensitive to the natural world.