Portfolios
I first discovered these horses of the Outer Banks, NC in the spring of 2012 and was immediately captivated by their story of survival, adaptation and wildness in a setting that at first glance looks ideally tranquil but is unforgiving, unrelenting and unpredictably cruel. Yet in the midst is beauty that surprises and changes. Returning almost yearly, I see different stories unfold, each inspiring more awe and wonder than the last. It is here that I feel most at home, most at ease and humbled by nature that reveals complex stories and reminds those that want to see that we are truly connected to everything we can see.
A collection of images from a region on the coast of southern France known as The Camargue. The horses, famous for their white coats, are intertwined with the people and the coastal environment. As with the case in much in Europe, centuries of tradition still survive. The breeding of these horses is carefully protected to ensure bloodline purity; the mares freely roam the marshlands, giving birth in the wild with the foals spend their first two years roaming the open marshlands as they have done over many centuries of tradition. They too live in an environment that is as destructive and harsh as it is tranquil and beautiful. It is a vision of cultural heritage that carries with it a deep respect in traditional ways.
A favorite time of year of mine to photograph. The starkness, the light, the monochrome simplicity of backgrounds all provide the setting for this series of black and white images of horses photographed in areas of Vermont in the midst of a fairy-tale type winter. The selection of white horses against a nature provided white background lets the energy and romance of the horse take center stage. While seemingly a departure from horses embedded in ocean environments, this collection of images embraces a frozen form of water that creates it’s own inspiring environment.
The presence of a horse has the power to stop us in our tracks and take our breath away. It is as much because of the sum of its parts as the parts themselves. In the most primitive art forms, the horse has been depicted as simply as line art showcasing its flowing form and the reverence that was garnered from early mankind. This collection of images reflects the forms, the parts and the whole that creates that seductive intangible quality that so easily holds our attention.