Elegy for the Earth

We must wake up. I strongly believe that a revolution of individual human consciousness, multiplied into societies and nations, is the only real agent of change that might mitigate climate disaster. Buddhist mindful practice asserts there is no “other.” All sentient beings and nature are deeply allied with our own energies and inner states. Through images of the aeolian landscape of the Oceano Dunes on the Central California coast, I explore the deep ecological link between the life of the land and the subtle dimensions of human consciousness. The ephemeral, ever-changing landscape expresses a sublime order and reflects the many correlations between nature and the dynamics of the inner world. My investigation of the dunes reminds me of Mark Rothko’s “single, tragic idea,” his intimation of the terrors of mortality and its potential for spiritual redemption and release through art. I want to photograph the darkness that is coming against the awe and immensity of the devout presence of the land. In these photographs, I lament the fragile transience of the earth and celebrate the ever-flowing infusion of life energy into form.