Nature is the greatest work of art. More awe-inspiring than the most imposing cathedral, more refined than an opera house, and more immaculate in its details than any man-made object could be. These were some elements of nature that spoke to me on a recent trip to Shenandoah National Park, nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia.
It is so easy to rush past the beauties of nature. We may “see” a forest. We may “see” an individual tree. But to stop, notice, and appreciate the details is a rarer discipline that I hope to cultivate in my own life and to inspire in others through my art. It was on a trek to the least populated departamento (or region) of Uruguay that I stayed for a few days on an estancia (or ranch) that I took an early morning walk after the rain and was mesmerized by the dew left on the acres of pine trees. Looking closer, I saw that the spiders’ toil on their webs the night before had been spoiled by the rain. And yet, even in this destruction, something new and beautiful had been created.
Perfect light one afternoon driving through the backcountry of Uruguay, made me stop the car and take a walk down a long dirt road. Uruguay is a land of lush, rolling green pastureland—some of the best in the world. I loved how this simple fence drew a stark dividing line between cultivated and tame on one side and wild grassland brush on the other. To me, this represents the perfect balance that we all must strive to achieve between preserving some of nature in its wild and unspoiled form on the one hand and being mindful stewards of the land on the other.
To see more of my images, check out my full gallery here.
Did any of these images speak to you? If so, please share your thoughts below! Thanks for visiting and keep noticing the beauty around you.
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