Of the Earth
A bright red barn with a slanted roof, surrounded by a cornfield; bamboo swaying in the wind; golden rays of the late-day sun illuminating the tops of pine trees in the distance making them look like tall-stemmed yellow flowers; seemingly parched, arid land emitting clouds of steam - these images capture for me the striking visual appeal and emotion that landscapes offer. During Covid-19, I have spent a lot of time in rural Virginia, and many of the images reflect a stillness, a peacefulness, a connection to nature and the Earth, which is what I was seeking as a balm to the stresses of pandemic life.
Far from rural VA, in remote Iceland, I found intriguing, almost incomprehensible contrasts, like cracks in the crust of sandy deserts releasing vapor, signifying the land is filled with hidden, barely contained energy. In the aesthetic, emotional and, without a doubt, reverential response to such visual fragments of the Earth, I found the raison d’être for the collection of 22 images below.
