Artist Statement
The beauty of the world around me keeps me in a near-perpetual state of awe. On occasion, the beauty of the landscape can be overshadowed by the realization of how dangerous and unforgiving nature can be. At these times, our senses achieve a heightened state of awareness and we become more attuned to the incredible and indiscriminate power of nature. Watching massive storms roll across Midwestern fields as a child had a profound impact on me, and I vividly remember their tremendous power and the sense of danger I felt. To this day, I watch clouds gathering on the horizon warily, deeply aware of the danger they may carry.
Based partially in childhood memories, The Gathering Storm is a fine art landscape photography series, grounded in the sublime landscape tradition. The selected landscapes are loosely representative of areas I know; vaguely familiar places which serve as backdrops to the power of the depicted storms. The skies, which are generally seen only as a background, are dynamic, and serve as reminders of the internal and external storms we all experience, and our fragile nature in the face of forces greater than ourselves.