If this object happened to be found by future archaeologists, isolated and with nothing to compare it to, it would signify the existence of a complex and highly advanced civilization—even if its function was not known. The evidence: chromed metal, parts that function together as a whole, intricate design, meticulous manufacturing, a “system” to […]
As these geese take flight, returning to the places they were born to find food and mates, my thoughts turn to the place we call “home.” For some, it’s where we were born, the house we lived in the longest or where we live now. If “Home is where the heart is,” it could simply […]
One among many leaves that float on the surface of life, I ride the waves. The calm— meaningful conversations, helping where help is needed, Linda’s cooking; Graeter’s ice cream; Skyline chili, researching and writing novels of the ancient Maya; visiting sites, Scott Hamilton’s tenor saxophone; Barry Manilow; Andrea Bocelli traveling backroads to photograph; making […]
Initially, this image evoked in me an appreciation of the organizing principles that underlie manifested reality, from sub-atomic particles to the universe. The consistent spherical shapes, irrespective of size, and the way the light raked across them suggesting mass and texture and that led to considerations of order. Upon further reflection, my appreciation widened […]
I recently wondered, what in my experience most often compels me to experience appreciation? The answer was immediate—water. I must think to myself how grateful I am for water on the average of twenty to thirty times a day—beginning with the luxury of being able to shower in a blend of hot and cold running […]
It didn’t take the drought in the West or lead in the water at Flint, Michigan for me to appreciate the abundance of clean water we have in Cincinnati. Not always, but many times when I’m taking a shower, washing prints in the darkroom or watching the sprinkler in the garden I think to myself what […]
For me, every element of this image provides opportunity to reflect. The color alone evokes the sensibility of winter, the time of year when, for many of us, the often overcast sky tends to dampen the desire for activity. The lines where snow meets ice meets water recall phase transitions: changes of state, chapters […]
The image of this drop of water on a stem reminds me of a common metaphor used to describe the nature of the human-divine relationship. While each drop of water is singular, unique, separate and ever changing no matter its shape or location, in essence it is water. Human beings are like individual drops of water in […]
I’ve always been attracted to things nautical: ships, boats, rope, sail and rigging, running paint and patterned reflections. Beyond function, I delight in the surfaces, textures, rhythms and forms that I find on piers, docks, harbors and marinas. They interrupt light beautifully, illuminating the full spectrum of aesthetic dimensions— line, contrast, shadow, gradation, texture […]
For me, one of the best things about summer in Ohio is corn! Considering my affinity toward Central America, I prefer the term “maize.” It’s an Indian word meaning “sacred mother,” or “giver of life.” The ancient Maya creation story features the maize god—referred to as “First Father.” When the waters that covered the earth receded, […]
