Bistahi Landscapes

While living in the northwest corner of New Mexico, I became enchanted by a place called Bisti Badlands. The name comes from the Navajo word "bistahi," which translates to "among the adobe formations." This wilderness area is known for its unique rock and badland formations. What drew my interest, however, was the ground beneath my feet. The earth in this place is like nowhere I have seen before. The swirling patterns made in the earth when it rains call to my mind, galactic nebulas or computer models of the structure of the universe. What I love most about this subject is how disorienting the land can be, especially when photographed. The eye searches for something to anchor it in space only to feel as though it has been tricked. Scale is either abandoned or warped. In the photographs the idea of place is subsumed by the sensory experience of being in this place.