Beyond the Horizon

On May 14, 2003, my father held my stepmother’s hand, closed his eyes and submitted to the disease that had slowly consumed him. After a long and debilitating battle, cancer finally conquered his body. His death left me heartbroken, confused and lost. The world I had lived in for 27 years suddenly appeared unfamiliar to me. All I could see was suffering and death. In my search for comfort, I found it impossible to accept the seeming injustice of the cycle of life. Desperate to see the world again with the optimism and delight that had been stolen from me, I began to travel, hoping that my camera could provide a means to understanding and eventually moving beyond my despair. Beyond the Horizon emerged during this period. The series is comprised of 35 mm photographic prints that reveal the relationship between humanity and nature to be delicate and interdependent. Small human figures are neither masters of nor intruders upon the landscapes they inhabit. Simply another element of nature, their existence, like the waves, is in a constant state of flux. There are mountains that have been thrust into the sky, seeming to crave the embrace of the sun. And there are hills that once were mountains, no less beautiful in their diminished form. Ever-changing cloud formations are captured as they were at a single moment in time before that form was lost and replaced by another. Fog is hovering in the air, temporarily enveloping the landscape with its eerie beauty. Inevitably, there are the human-made: buildings, wires, fences. All of these, made from natural materials, temporarily suspended in their current form, are destined to return to the earth. While not eliminating the significance of human suffering, the lessons of the natural world do offer a sense of perspective. Our physical selves are as much a part of this world as the mountains and the clouds and the light given by the sun. All is in flux. All is fleeting. Only by viewing human suffering and death within the context of nature can we begin the process of acceptance and healing.