I have always been attracted to water, the sound, the movement., the glistening surface. To some, a hike is a walk to get to the top of something – a hill, a mountain peak, a vantage point, a place of arrival. For me, the place of arrival has always been the water. A river, a stream, a falls, the edge of the lake, the shore, the ocean. The water reflects and contains all around it – the color of the sky, the reflections of leaves or trees, the shadow of a cloud. Its surface is a skin that welcomes any touch, that runs over a hand or a rock, covering either with a clear smooth layer. Water, the source of life; flowing water, a symbol of change.
These digital images are large, on the order of three feet by four feet. From a distance, they appear to be photographs, but when viewed close up, they are composed of abstract patterns of color, as seen in the detail views. The interplay between the image seen from afar and then close up refers to my intention of encouraging people to be more observant of details in their surroundings. Of course, the patterns in these images aren’t literally what one sees if one looks closely at the water itself. The point is that when we take time to look closely at what is around us, we will perceive things differently. It’s a matter of how we focus our attention, how we feel time go past us, how we are aware of our surroundings and what’s happening. I feel this is an especially important skill to cultivate, as we are constantly surrounded by the flowing swirl of daily life which so stubbornly refuses to slow down.