This may or may not surprise you. I’m an atheist. Always have been.
I do go to church however. Let me explain.
Cleveland doesn’t have the greatest reputation, but what it does have is an incredible museum scene. In fact, the Cleveland Museum of Art is one of the best in the world. Growing up and taking field trips to the museum was amazing, but as an adult and a developing visual artist, being able to see one of a kind original artworks was incredible. It was there that I discovered Church.
Frederick Edwin Church that is.
Twilight in the Wilderness, 1860. Frederic Edwin Church (American, 1826-1900). Oil on canvas; framed: 124 x 185 x 13 cm (48 13/16 x 72 13/16 x 5 1/8 in.); unframed: 101.6 x 162.6 cm (40 x 64 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Mr. and Mrs. William H. Marlatt Fund 1965.233
This painting reaffirmed something I had always known deep down. It captures a feeling that I knew as a kid, and I started to know again as a photographer recovering from a heart transplant.
It’s that feeling of the power and majesty of the natural world. Anyone who goes camping regularly surely already understands this, the feeling of being connected to it all, yet also feeling so small and insignificant. It’s not negative, it’s just a realization of how big it all is and how small you are in it.
It keeps me humble and it’s something I need to revisit often. A well I need to refill. Since seeing Church’s painting in person, I had started referring to nature as my church.
I don’t get out much these days both due to Covid and my worsening health, but I can still get to the ocean and to the mountains. Santa Barbara is particularly beautiful because it’s sandwiched between mountains and ocean, and I still try to remember that feeling I had when first driving into town, seeing the palm trees, the ocean, and the mountains, all in one view.
So please indulge me if i continue to post images from the mountains to the sea. It’s all I have right now and it’s keeping me connected.
On top of the mountains above Santa Barbara, looking northwest into the Los Padres National Forest.