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| The Forest |
I began shooting this series of photographs in the 2009 winter. I have always been drawn to the weather of a breaking storm. It often offers some of the most dramatic lighting and opportunity to capture familiar subject matter in a new exciting way. Breaking weather offers unique and fast changing lighting with clouds opening windows to reveal hidden vignettes of a scene or subject you are accustomed to seeing in full. I began to wonder if there might also be opportunity in the weather before a storm breaks. In the heart of the storm itself.
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| Solo |
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| Meadow |
People often stay indoors during bad weather. You look out the window of your warm dry home and you probably see a world of physical discomfort, especially in the winter. There can be cold numb hands, sticky wet clothing, and skin biting wind. Even if you are just looking at it you can feel it. But is there another place within that chaos? A place less physical. One of emotional quiet and tranquility.
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| Barn |
Many years ago I experienced just such realization within the chaos of white water rapids. When my kayaking skills became sufficient, and my courage allowed me to surf on the waves of big class 3 and 4 plus rapids, I was amazed to find that within the visual chaos of rapids seen from the shore, there exists a blissful pocket where you find total peace and ease. Approaching a rapid it is loud, fast, and out-of-control. Then you make it on the glassy surface of a rapids tongue or on the face of a wave. It all comes together, and suddenly gets quiet. You are riding on silk, connected physically and emotionally with the water. For years I have tried to capture this essence in my kayaking and rafting images.
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| Three Tall |
Could this same place be found in the discomfort of a winter storm? Could I capture it photographically?
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| Two Trees |
In the midst of raging Colorado mountain storms, beyond physical discomfort, I was surprised to find that there does exist this place of emotional and visual tranquility. I have always been inspired by the calm stillness created by the simple compositions of Asian art such as Japanese wood block prints and calligraphy.
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| Rail Fence |
By compositionally distilling a scene to is most fundamental elements I have tried to capture this essence of serenity found with in the intensity of Colorado winter storms. I call this newest body work, White Out.
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