After five decades as a geologist, a local man is raising money for the Foothills art scene.
Byung Chi will be selling some photography and paintings at the Sheep River Library, with all profits going to the library and Sheep Creek Arts Council.
Chi, who moved to Canada from Seoul, South Korea in 1964, has an impressive resumé — he holds a master's degree from the University of Alberta and PhD from the University of Calgary, both in geology.
After travelling across the Northwest Territories and Canadian Arctic during his 50-year career in oil and gas exploration, which earned him an award from the Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists in 1975, he hung up his hat in 2018.
"I came to Okotoks about five years ago and suddenly retired," said Chi. "You've got so many hours extra, 40 hours extra. So what am I going to do? So that's why I grabbed a camera, I started taking pictures, and I started learning painting."
His decades of work in geology have certainly given him a keen eye for landscape photography and paintings of Alberta's natural beauty.
"Turner Valley and the [Sheep River Library], they invited me to do a little bit of an exhibition," he said.
"They asked me to show about 30 photos, I selected about 40 out of many, many thousands of photos, so I printed and framed, and they're right now at the library."
Chi will be selling his photography and paintings, but he doesn't want to profit off his work.
"I don't want photography as my career, but I'm just doing it as fun," he said.
After covering the cost of setting up the exhibit, all profits from the sale of his artwork will be donated to the Sheep River Library and Sheep Creek Arts Council.
"I don't want to make any penny out of this," he said. "It's all going to the library and you know I don't want to make any penny out of this."
The exhibit opened on May 1 and is on display at the Sheep River Library until June 28. An opening reception is happening on Saturday, May 11 from 1 to 4 p.m.