Half a Chisel to the Earth

The Earth is broken and burning, fickle as the format with which these images are created. The focus here is narrow, surgical. Simply watch the forms in a revolving door, reflecting a metamorphic land.

The photographs that make up Half a Chisel to the Earth were taken between 2011 and 2022 primarily in various Western ecosystems of the United States. Inspired by the geology and isolation; the photographs hint at entropy and fragility. The images depict the landscape burning and eroded yet resilient and stoic. By deliberately divorcing the landscape from conventional perceptions of reality, the collection transcends human-centric experiences, inviting contemplation of Earth's own psychology on the expansive scale of geologic time.

The rhythmic crash of waves against a dark, rugged coastline finds echoes in the colossal form of a monolith sculpted from 160-million-year-old Entrada Sandstone. Light gracefully penetrates each frame, akin to the sun's reflection on a desert river, mirroring the dance of flames consuming a grassy hillside. Within these images, an ongoing interplay between the opposing forces of light and dark pervades, with scenes poised delicately on the brink of night, just before succumbing to the engulfing negative space. Some subjects assume a role akin to archetypal symbols, bestowing significance upon seemingly overlooked objects.

Midway through the sequence, a solitary human figure emerges, navigating an enigmatic landscape that implies the familiar human form as a drifter in an unfamiliar realm. This figure serves as a bridge, prompting the viewer to recognize themselves within the imagery and contemplate their position within the perpetual ebb and flow of order and chaos.