Before George Mallory departed on his final, and ultimately fatal, trip to Mount Everest, he spoke about why he took such risks: “What we get from this adventure is just sheer joy. And joy is, after all, the end of life. We do not live to eat and make money. We eat and make money to be able to enjoy life. That is what life means, and what life is for.”
The appreciation of the beautiful is one of life’s great joys and from an early age the beauty of nature strongly moved me. When I was seven, I have been told, a family friend remarked to my parents that she had never before seen a child so young who was so strongly drawn to beautiful landscapes. My parents cultivated that eye, in part through a subscription to Arizona Highways, and the incomparable work of photographer Josef Muench, who probably influenced me more than any other single artist. The delight of being surrounded by nature has stayed with me, and in a life infused with art, I have been a participant more than a spectator.
Admittedly, out of nature’s abundance comes much that is unremarkable and monotonous. That same abundance also produces, at times, incredible sunsets and mountain vistas, sweeping plains and flower-covered hills, beckoning forests and storm-driven seas. The best moments are often those that are of short duration. Something within me impels me to capture those fleeting moments and to share them with others who are likewise captivated by the art of nature.
When I am outside creating new work I wear my heart on my sleeve, or perhaps more accurately, in my eyes. The joy I experience when outside photographing and the creative process carries across (I fervently hope) in the finished image, no matter how much technical knowledge, skill, and experience is hidden behind the final published photograph. I have succeeded when I create, out of experiences, an image which pleases me, even more so when one of my works touches another life, heart, or soul.
There are many emotions expressed in my imagery besides joy: works of mystery, those of sadness and loneliness, as well as scenes of disharmony and greed. Noveretheless, the foundation upon which I build all my work remains joy in nature, joy in creating, joy in art, and joy in life.
February 2007
Namasté
Page Last Updated April 11, 2008
A record of change: previous statement
Photographic Services | Portfolios | Slide Shows | Workshops | About | Home | Namaste Reflections
