BEHIND THE CURTAIN
THE INNER COMPULSION TO CREATE
To escape the cacophony of city life I fled to Sea Ranch in 2017 and found a uniquely deep bond with its coastline. The greatest gift I’ve ever received was this profound relationship and its exponential growth. Unbeknownst to me I stumbled backwards into a project that would become my life’s purpose. Throughout its manifestation, I filled notebooks with pictures, inspired thoughts, grand ideas, research, and even pieces of the landscape itself. The process generated piles of binders, spreadsheets, albums, and libraries with hundreds of thousands of pictures that are now essential to the heart of Intertidal.
LOSING GROUND
Climate change wasn’t an impetus for the Intertidal Project, however, the topic manifested during my Relocation Attempts. When I shot my first “foot marker” photos, I didn’t envision that fragile bluff edges might crumble beneath me. Four years later one place has become a remarkable study in climate change. My reference pictures revealed that the ledge I stand upon has slowly decayed from extreme weather events. As the danger to shoot increases I hope the essential site 50’ above ground level won’t give way taking me with it before crafting Tidal Block II.
THE GRAVITY OF WATER
Water unites the Intertidal elements, whether by slow motion or grave force, it carves to be seen leaving its imprint upon the rocks and me. I’ve inhaled books to grasp the science of water, how it interacts with the coast and read the landscape mapping its power. A preeminent achievement is the ability to close my eyes, sit quietly at the cliff’s edge and decipher the wave patterns from sound alone. I can predict when and where one will break even if I can’t see the water. When the ocean has the upper hand, my awareness evens the score keeping me on the right side of the cliff.