A 1940 Packard Finds New Admirers

Sometimes a sale sends me back to the photograph that started it all.

One customer recently ordered four mugs featuring my photograph of this black 1940 Packard coupe. That was a welcome reason to pull up the original image and take another look at a car with plenty to admire.

I found this black 1940 Packard coupe at a car show at Southgate Mall in Missoula, Montana, on May 6, 2017. Even surrounded by other collectible cars, it commanded attention. The tall grille, rounded fenders, bright chrome, and wide whitewall tires gave me plenty to admire through the camera. Reflections across the black paint emphasized just how much shape there was in that bodywork.

For the mug design, I separated the Packard from its busy car-show surroundings. That lets the car itself take center stage, accompanied by the simple identification “1940 Packard.”

My automotive designs begin with photographs I’ve taken. Looking through them again brings back the pleasure of studying these cars through the camera—and finding details that deserve a second look.

That recent four-mug order inspired me to give this photograph a fresh treatment for wall art. I removed the car-show surroundings and placed the Packard against a warm neutral background with a simple title. The result gives those sweeping fenders and bright chrome room to shine.

My 1940 Packard photograph on a coffee mug, available from Sharrott Creek Gallery.

For now, the mug is available through Sharrott Creek Gallery. If you would enjoy seeing this Packard as a wall print, I’d love to hear from you.

See the 1940 Packard mug on Etsy.

Your Car on a Coffee Mug

She Wanted a ’76 Corvette. I Had a ’77.

A couple of years ago, a customer asked me for a coffee mug featuring a 1976 Corvette. I had a ’77 in my shop, but she was looking for a ’76. If you’ve ever shopped for a gift for a car person, you know a year can make all the difference.

“Can you send me a photo?” I asked. “If you can, I’ll design a mug from it.”

She sent me a picture of this bright orange Stingray, parked beside rows of green vines. The angle showed off the long hood and the sweep of the front fenders. I took the car out of the background and put it on a mug with a line that suits it just fine: “I’m not old. I’m classic!”

That’s how today’s Product of the Day came to be. It also gives you an idea of what we can do with a photo of a car that means something to you. Maybe it’s the one you spent years restoring, the one your dad drove, or the one you still wish you’d kept.

If you have a car in mind, message me through Etsy with a clear photo and any wording you’d like. And if this orange ’76 is exactly the car you’re looking for, here’s the finished mug.

1976 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Mug at Sharrott Creek Gallery

Pic of the Day: Purple Iris

 Purple Iris in my Flower Garden

Purple Iris: Beauty in My Own Backyard
By Bryan D. Spellman, Ph.D.

Many of my photographs come from journeys across Montana and beyond. Today’s Pic of the Day comes from much closer to home: my own flower garden here in Plains, Montana.

This purple iris offers plenty to explore without leaving the yard. Its ruffled petals range from pale lavender to deep violet, with fine dark lines crossing creamy patches near the center. Against the black background, those details stand out, while a narrow green leaf provides a straight line beside the flower’s many curves.

As both a gardener and a photographer, I enjoy this opportunity to look closely at something I’ve grown. A flower that catches the eye in the garden reveals even more through the camera: delicate textures, overlapping shapes, and subtle variations in color.

Montana’s mountains and rivers will always draw my attention, but there is beauty worth photographing right outside my door, too.

View Purple Iris photographic wall art in my LightIntoArt Etsy shop.

Blodgett Canyon: A Landscape of Norman Maclean

 Blodgett Canyon: A Landscape of Norman Maclean

By Bryan D. Spellman, Ph.D.

Some photographs begin with a view. This one began with a story.

I photographed Blodgett Canyon in Montana’s Bitterroot Mountains while researching an article for Distinctly Montana magazine about the landscapes of Norman Maclean. Near Hamilton, this canyon connects the physical Montana I know through my camera with the Montana preserved in Maclean’s words.

Blodgett Canyon features in “USFS 1919: The Ranger, the Cook, and a Hole in the Sky.” In that story, the canyon is part of the passage between mountain work and life down in the Bitterroot Valley. Reading about a place gives us one way of seeing it; standing before it with a camera gives us another.

In this photograph, sunlight catches the rugged rock faces while clouds partly conceal the higher ridges. Dark evergreens and a brilliant golden tree bring autumn into the foreground. There is a great deal happening between earth and sky, even in a still photograph.

That meeting of landscape and literature drew me to this project. Maclean’s places are real places, and visiting them adds another dimension to the experience of reading his work.

Read my article, “The Landscapes of Norman Maclean: Forest, Mountains, Water”:
https://www.distinctlymontana.com/landscapes-norman-maclean-forest-mountains-water

This photograph is available as wall art from LightIntoArt:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1664028635

Pic of the Day: Reflections in Lake McDonald

Reflections in Lake McDonald

Reflections in Lake McDonald

Glacier National Park, Montana, USA
By Bryan D. Spellman, Ph.D.

Some photographs invite you to look into the distance. This one also invites you to look down.

Across Lake McDonald, snow-covered mountains rise beneath a clear blue sky. Their reflections stretch across the calm water, joined by the trees along the shoreline at the right. Look closer, though, and another landscape appears: a mosaic of colorful stones beneath the surface.

That combination is what I particularly enjoy about this photograph. The distant peaks give the scene its grandeur, while the stones bring it within reach. You can let your eye travel toward the mountains, then return to the shallow water almost at your feet.

The reflections create a pleasing balance, but the photograph isn’t perfectly symmetrical. The wooded shoreline curves into the scene, and the submerged stones add color and texture below the reflected mountains. There is plenty to explore without disturbing the sense of stillness.

For Monday’s Pic of the Day, I’m sharing this quiet view of Glacier National Park. A little blue sky, a little mountain snow, and water clear enough to reveal what lies beneath—a welcome way to begin the week.

“Reflections in Lake McDonald” is available as photographic wall art through my Etsy shop, LightIntoArt, with paper, canvas, metal, and acrylic options.

View the photograph and available print options on Etsy.

1940 Packard Coupe: Classic Car of the Week

 1940 Packard Coupe

A tall grille, sweeping fenders, gleaming chrome, and wide whitewall tires—this 1940 Packard coupe gives the camera plenty to admire.

Most of my photography sales are images of classic cars, so I’m adding a car each week to my Pic of the Day posts. Landscapes will still have their place, but I want to give these automotive subjects a regular turn in the spotlight.

For the first feature, I’ve chosen this handsome Packard. I especially like the way the rounded fenders frame the front wheels and the long hood leads your eye toward the passenger compartment. The dark paint reflects the surroundings, while the chrome and whitewalls provide bright accents.

In this finished photograph, a shaded background keeps attention on the car’s shape and details. Even standing still, it has presence.

For those who enjoy classic automobiles—or have a Packard enthusiast in the family—this photograph is available as wall art in my Etsy shop.

View the photograph and available print options:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1645848342

What classic car would you like to see in a future weekly feature?

Bryan D. Spellman, Ph.D.

Pic of the Day — Devils Tower: A Second Visit, a Different View

Devils Tower

The first time I visited Wyoming’s Devils Tower, the weather kept most of it to itself.

A blizzard had torn across northern Wyoming and western South Dakota, closing Mount Rushmore for the day. At Devils Tower, I could see the bottom of the formation, but its summit disappeared into mist and snow. I had arrived at the famous landmark, yet much of it remained hidden.

My return on May 23, 2025, offered a very different view. It was a glorious spring day to be driving cross-country with my camera close at hand. This time, the entire tower stood before me, its deeply furrowed rock rising above a green hillside and a belt of pines. Great white clouds filled the sky, with patches of blue opening between them.

I like the contrast between those two visits. My first glimpse left me imagining what the weather concealed. This visit let me appreciate the whole formation—and bring home a photograph of it.

Sometimes returning to a place gives you the view you hoped for the first time.

This photograph is available through my LightIntoArt Etsy shop on paper, canvas, metal, or acrylic:
https://lightintoart.etsy.com/listing/4311386222/devils-tower-wall-art-wyoming-landscape

Photography by Bryan D. Spellman, Ph.D.