The air is so thick with smoke in Portland, Oregon USA from wildfires burning all around us this summer, that I can feel it in my eyes and throat. A light dusting of ash is visible on lawn furniture and cars. A couple of days ago, one of our most beautiful gems, the Columbia Gorge National Scenic Area, erupted into a human-caused inferno. The blaze … Continue reading Too Close to Home: Flames Licking at our Heels
In “American Landscapes,” a published collection of photographs from the Collection of the Museum of Modern Art (1981), John Szarkowski writes about wilderness, wildness, public treasures and our human treading upon them. He also writes about what it means to photograph a landscape, to contemplate our apprehension of the “difference between our special human concerns and the earth’s own compulsions.” “We have been half persuaded … Continue reading Our Own Brutal Use of the Land
I worked with renowned Italian photojournalist, explorer and conservationist Luca Bracali on a recently published piece for LensCulture Magazine on conservation and global food security in Southeast Asia and am very pleased to share it here. The featured photograph (seen below) is titled “Harvest Time” and was named first place in the category: “Cultural Value of Man’s Relationship with Food” in the 2015 Siena International … Continue reading To See the World in a Grain of Rice: Conservation & Global Food Security with Luca Bracali
I desperately wanted to see the Albert Kahn Museum and gardens in Paris the last time I was there in October, but it’s undergoing a long-term renovation. Japanese architect Kengo Kuma won the design contract of a new 2,300-m² building. The museum will also feature new housing for prints and a 120-seat auditorium, as well as the opening of a Japanese tea room and a … Continue reading On Human Rights Day: Albert Kahn and His Archives of the Planet
I have an essay out in the latest issue of River Teeth Literary Journal. The piece, “Dark Secrets of Mother Trees,” reminds me that when it comes to writing, it’s important to slow down and let the words come. And to let the science of the world transform itself into art and poetry. And to be okay with rejection. This essay wasn’t picked up on … Continue reading Make Rejection Your Goal
