Sam Larsen is returning to our Featured Artist wall for August this year. Sam is not a local in Sherman County but has spent a lot of time photographing and researching old buildings and properties around Sherman County. After his retirement in 2006 and some extra time on his hands, he picked up his camera and began exploring Oregon’s rural landscapes. He fell in love with the rural scenes including old farm buildings, especially barns! As time rolls on some of these old buildings no longer exist and many locals are grateful to have them captured in Larsen’s images. We are grateful for this visual record of our county.

Sam grew up in a small farming community in southern Wisconsin. As a teen, he worked on his grandfather’s farm, baling hay and cultivating corn. After graduating from high school, he studied chemistry, eventually earning a PhD from the University of Texas. In 1979, Sam joined a process development group at Eli Lilly and Co. For Larsen, research often involved spending countless hours with a microscope taking pictures of crystals, and analyzing for ideal form and purity.

All photos were taken by Sam Larsen in Sherman County between 2013 and 2022 on private property. Property access was gained with the permission of the property owners. Larsen is very appreciative and thankful to all those who granted him the opportunity to photograph the beautiful landscape of Sherman County. Larsen is always very aware of his surroundings and practiced fire safety parking and used on-foot access at all property locations.