I admit I’m spoiled with them, based on my location on a cliff overlooking the waters of Puget Sound in Washington State, USA. From this due-west observation point, nature spins a never-ending sequence of sunsets. Some are soft and dim, being filtered through thick clouds that offer a cold shimmer to the water. Other times the overhead sky blasts forth beams of fiery red and orange, turning the foothills of the Olympic Mountains into craggy silhouettes.

And then there are those jaw-dropping instances like the sunset I captured here. In this case, the smoke from a nearby forest fire converged into a thick sepia band that settled just above the horizon. I brought my camera gear out to the edge of the cliff, selecting my telephoto lens to enhance the size of the sun. 

As the sun dipped into the band of smoke, all indicators pointed to what should turn out to be an interesting show. But this is what’s so exciting about sunsets: you never know precisely what you’re going to get. In this case, the sun’s appearance dropping below the smoke layer revealed a mystical landscape, one where mountain peaks were saturated in blood-red light shafts. The intense glow also provided the perfect backdrop to separate the line of trees in the foreground from the more distant mountains.

While I can say this is one of my most unusual sunset photos, experience tells me there are so many more that await. I simply need to pay attention and head out to the back yard when nature beckons.

About this Artwork

Entitled, Gifts from the Sun, this photograph demonstrates the glorious sunsets I’m fortunate to capture right from my back yard overlooking Puget Sound.

The work is available as a limited-edition framed print. Its accompanying narrative is etched into a black acrylic plaque, designed to be hung next to the print, as shown in the following illustration.

Click the image below to visit this piece’s detail page where you can read its narrative, check availability and pricing, and more.

Click to visit this artwork’s detail page in my portfolio.

I was on the last leg of this photographic journey, having spent 2 weeks roaming Arizona and Utah’s iconic national parks and capturing photos I’d only dreamed of for decades. 

But the universe wasn’t done with me. Taking some byways through northeast Oregon on my way back to Washington, I drove over a hill and came across this scene of golden wheat blowing in the wind from an oncoming summer storm. 

Totally unexpected. Not at all on my agenda. And yet, here I was, on a dusty county road with farmland all around me, the scent of grain, a shockingly cold breeze heralding the rain… 

I stood there, transfixed. This, I realized, is what makes me happy: discovering the unexpected. Capturing singular landscapes that evoke deeper meanings.

That trip—and this photo—convinced me to let go of some of my worries, to leave the soul-killing job behind, and to follow my bliss. 

Best thing I’ve ever done.

About this Artwork

Entitled, Field of Life, this photograph of endless wheat fields under an oncoming storm outside Henderson, OR, USA, is a reflection of the cathartic moment when I realized that landscape photography was my calling.

The work is available as a limited-edition framed print. Its accompanying narrative is etched into a black acrylic plaque, designed to be hung next to the print, as shown in the following illustration.

Click the image below to visit this piece’s detail page where you can read its narrative, check availability and pricing, and more.

Click to visit this artwork’s detail page in my portfolio.

First, there’s something wistful I always find in an empty bench. Perhaps it’s interpreted from that emptiness which represents a missing loved one so well. Benches frequently are crafted in memory of someone, leaving behind a physicality of both seat and plaque to help remind the world of the person who once was.

Another factor is this scene of deterioration, where both stump and bench are crumbling as they slowly submit to the ravages of weather and time. 

I already had the bones of this photograph’s narrative in mind when I returned a few years later… only to discover that it was all gone: the bench had been removed, and nothing remained of the stump except a mound of bark. I can’t imagine anything more symbolic and relatable: our desperate need to keep things static, to prevent the changes that are so integral to life: aging, physical changes, and ultimately death. 

But my intent when creating this artwork wasn’t to focus solely on loss or futility. Take another look at the photograph. Isn’t the setting beautiful? There’s a quiet solemnity in the air, a diffuse light that lingers. It’s a place of power and beauty. 

That’s the message I want to convey: it’s a bittersweet experience that keeps alive the cherished moments of someone we’ve lost.

All we need to do is remember.

About this Artwork

Entitled, Sit and Abide, this photograph of a decaying bench and stump in Olympic National Park, USA, is a story about remembering a beloved family member who has passed.

The work is available as a limited-edition framed print. Its accompanying narrative is etched into a black acrylic plaque, designed to be hung next to the print, as shown in the following illustration.

Click the image below to visit this piece’s detail page where you can read its narrative, check availability and pricing, and more.

Click to visit this artwork’s detail page in my portfolio.