Psychedelic Series of Images to Combat the Winter of Discontent
Growing in All Directions–Altered Universe
This new series of color and black and white psychedelic images arose from a desire to see things in my backyard and neighboring areas in a new way. Being in the same place for so long and photographing only our immediate surroundings, our eyes tend to see things and quickly categorize them as something we have already seen and know. This series reveals new patters in the familiar and accentuates different aspects of the natural world than we typically might focus on. Shadows are as interesting as positives, etc. The colors are also a counterpoint to the drabness of winter. It’s all about seeing and growing in new ways while I stay closer to home.
This tree was along a hiking trail on the Blue Ridge. When I saw it, it immediately grabbed my attention because it seemed to be growing in all directions, including up and down at the same time. During the past 9 months (which is long enough to gestate a baby), I have spent more time with myself than I have in perhaps my entire life. It would have been so easy to get bored, and truth be told–I do long for the company of others at times, but instead I chose this period to get to know myself better and to find new perspectives of viewing the world. The limitations also allow for an unfolding and the opportunity to gaze within too. My work has drastically changed. I had been wanting for this to happen for a long time, but it is something you can’t really force. It takes time and introspection and experimentation and a deeper wya of seeing the everyday. Sometimes discomfort makes our feelings and emotions more palpable, and they tend to make them into our artwork whether consciously or not. Below are some additional images I have made in this series.
All Knotted Up
This image was made while pondering the mess our country is in and the pit in my stomach and scrambled thoughts I often have, especially while doom scrolling in the middle of the night.
Psychedelic Visions–Inside the Cave of Wonders
This image is within a small cave on the side of a trail. Normally the shadows have little information, but here they become white instead of black and draw us through the environment. The texture of the rocks is also accentuated, as all the details are more visible processed this way.
Psychedelic Rock with Lichen
The rock, which we might normally overlook after noting patches of lichen becomes just as interesting as what is growing on it.
Stone Heart in a Psychedelic Landscape
Sometimes rendering the images in black and white accentuates the textures and details even more. I am always stunned when I finish one of these and see blades of grass or lichen or the textures of leaves in an entirely new way.
Psychedelic White Reindeer Moss
Seeing in this way always reminds me of MC Escher or psychedelic artists, only the patterns in these images are contained entirely within the natural world. It is how they are perceived that is different. To me, in these times, that is such an important point. There is much we can’t change about the world right now. We need to stay home until a vaccine is widely available and the epidemiologists deem it is safe for us to congregate again. We can choose to be bored or depressed or we can find ways to look at our situation differently and hopefully come out of this with fresh perspectives and a greater appreciation of what we do have. Until now, large parts of society have relied on the company of others or exotic travel to awaken their senses. Now we get to see if we can do it on our own. Instead of judging whether what I come up with is good or bad, I have been allowing myself to freely experiment as much as possible and that is breaking down my preconceived notions and will ultimately allow my artistic and personal vision to expand, at least that is my hope. I encourage everyone to find new ways of seeing, whether you make are or not. It may just be the beginning of a new world view.
Psychedelic Tree Trunk with Fungi and Lichen