I often wonder why I’m attracted to the cracks, crevices, and lines in patinaed objects.  I find the macro view fascinating, like the world that comes alive when we look through a microscope.  Part of me suspects that, as I age, I’m trying to find validation that there is beauty or worth in the lines of time.  That the dents and fading add character and value, because when you look closely they reveal an intricate story of survival.

                                                                                                                         Scratch Ticket in situ by Gayle Waterman, © 2025

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Recently, in Western Art & Architecture, I was delighted to see the work of an artist I’ve admired, Jason Kowalski.  I felt somewhat validated that I’m not the only person intrigued with how things in the world around us age.  Jason Kowalski’s oil paintings bring relics out of the past into the present.  The writer of the article, Rose DeMaris, wrote that Jason’s work “celebrates the curious beauty of dilapidation”.  His paintings record memories from my childhood where some parts of Route 66 looked like Las Vegas, where motel signs glittered brightly in the distance on late-night road trips and where these bits of “Americana” are still relevant. 

                                                                                                 Golden Hour by Jason Kowalski, © 2024
 

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I’m fortunate that I get to see Jason’s work in Santa Fe at LewAllen Galleries, one of my favorite galleries.  Jason succinctly states, “I believe that beauty lies in transformation” and “find joy in looking”.  When I read this article, it warmed my heart to know there are other people who enjoy looking deeply and who express these observations through art.  Even though my photographic interpretation of a weathered item or a relic is different from Jason’s, there is a common appreciation for the beauty that the patina of time reveals.

I remember the first small piece of petrified wood that I held in my hand at a young age.  It was the color of sand, dull, and rough with deep linear striations on the outside.  It wasn’t pretty and it was heavy, like a rock.  I had picked up driftwood that was lighter than I thought it should be, but this piece of wood was heavy.  That fascinated me.  I was amazed that a big, beautiful tree whose roots once grew deeply into the ground, whose leaves spoke as the wind tickled their edges was stopped in time and turned to stone like looking into Medusa’s eyes.  My imagination flourished with the idea of a petrified forest where wizards and dragons might live.  

                                                                                                         TIME CASPULE, © 2025
 

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The magical world of petrified forests happened in areas all over the earth as early as the Devonian period, about 390 million years ago through the Permian period around 47 million years ago and even more recently.  Colors vary based on the chemicals and conditions that occurred to mineralize the wood over time.  Fossilized wood is a snapshot of prehistoric time representing the biology, heat, force, minerals and chemistry that are still part of our life today. 

                                                                                                                          WORLDWIDE WINDOW, © 2025
 

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Always looking deeper through the macro lens, these polished prisms into the past resonate with the beginning of our time on earth and even the beginning of the universe.  This series of three macro photographs of petrified wood captures the otherworldliness of petrified wood while representing the real world around us. Just as walking through a forest inspires us to appreciate the wonder of our life on earth, these ancient, fossilized remnants of early time remind of us our connectedness to the universe, especially when we look up at the stars from our time capsule here on earth.  

                                                                                            ROCKISLIDE, © 2025
 

 

My connection to Santa Fe runs long and deep, starting with visits at a very young age with my parents. The "Land of Enchantment” is an accurate description of the state with White Sands, Carlsbad Caverns, Chaco Canyon, Abiquiu, Chama, local pueblos and so many places of wonder and ancient history to explore. I even remember when parts of Canyon Road weren’t paved and Santa Fe had a small, timeless, feel. A place where artists found like-minded people and their creative inspiration was fueled by the beauty of the light, sunsets and sense of community. It still feels that way to me.

 

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I’ve enjoyed photographing in Santa Fe in recent years and found inspiration from the desert with my newest piece, Drops of Hope.

                                                                                                    DROPS OF HOPE, ©2024

Drops of Hope is a tribute to the sustainability of life through water, the importance of agriculture, and respect for our precious water sources—a theme that resonates deeply in the landscapes and communities of New Mexico and the Roaring Fork Valley.

 

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                                                                                         DROPS OF HOPE in situ, ©2024

 

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Sharing my art in Santa Fe brings a life-long goal full circle.  Thank you for your support and inspiration on this journey.  Here’s to more creativity, new beginnings, treasured places and treasured friends!

Do you remember shaking a present before Christmas Day, thinking it was one thing, and then discovering later to your great surprise that it was something even better? Creating macro-photography often feels the same way. I’ll focus on an area of interest and am elated when an unexpected image appears before my eyes.


           Hidden Stories © 2024

 

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When creating Hidden Stories, I was drawn to the angular red and white colors, tiny flecks of green, and adjacent dark shadow lines that added a sense of mystery. But I felt like a kid at Christmas when a second image, The Mystic, appeared and immediately drew me in.




 

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I wasn’t expecting this exotic creature who sparked my imagination to travel to an unknown place and time. A time where myth and legend create powerful magnetism. In a place where there is a story of hope and unity that transcends all adversity.


             The Mystic © 2024
 

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Enjoy the holiday season and discovering the unexpected in the coming year!

Warm wishes,

Albert Einstein once wrote, “The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion which stands at the cradle of true art and true science.”

The mysterious motivates me and is part of what I explore and attempt to define in each image that I create. A few years ago I photographed a Circa 1870’s Japanese screen. In its age, design, and patina I discovered ‘other worlds’ of the mysterious as seen in The Road Home.
 

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The Road Home © 2022            

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I love the fantasy that escapes through this image...




 

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To see the screen I photographed to create this artwork and others, and to learn more about the fascinating history of Japanese screens click here.

Enjoy the mystery,