These intimate landscapes view the natural world from the viewpoint of refuge—a place of solace amidst the discomforts and disappointments of living. My work explores human suffering and the recovery and flourishing that can follow, engaging with the landscape as both a mirror and a source of solace. Often, it’s only after we find refuge that inspiration and hope become available
As a child, I had plenty of reasons to want to escape my life, and I often wished for a place to hide. During those years, the rural area where I lived fell away to housing developments. Walking the half-mile to my best friend’s house, I would see odd undeveloped no-man’s lands between the new houses, wildly overgrown with pasture, apple trees, and old elms. My favorite lot stood empty for years, and I would peer into this little meadow full of hillocks whenever I went by. It glowed golden when the sun shone on it, offering a sweet place where I imagined hiding in the grass—taking refuge from everything that was difficult at home. Inspiration has only ever come to me once I’ve found such a safe haven. Then, branches silhouetted against the sky would tell me of the human striving to become something larger, greater, more generous than we are.
This series emerged almost undetected through my daily photo-journaling. I would focus loving attention on details of heartbreaking beauty, or on a certain lyrical quality. But for the longest time I couldn’t tell you what they were about. Then one day, that undeveloped lot and its meadow came to mind, and I remembered the search for refuge followed by revelation. Bringing these images together helped me understand that I’ve been telling this story all my life.