Shifting Ground

Standing before these rocks with their luminous colors and layers, I feel a sense of calm and stability. But it is an illusion. In the past, this area was a shallow sea, a tropical jungle, a dune desert, a great lake. More recently, wind, rain, and ice carved out forms that look like ancient temples and citadels. The same forces, along with the shifting of the earth, will destroy them, eventually. Still, a trace of transcendence lingers around the cliffs. Maybe it’s a subtle effect of the geology. Or perhaps an echo from those who spend their lives here, believing this land is sacred. Or just the inherent beauty of red-orange against a blue sky.

The photographs for this work were taken in southern Utah. In order to capture a sense of mutability and change, I used multiple exposures and then combined them with encaustic wax and other mixed media.