YOU SEE THE RIPPLE NOT THE STONE
I documented lapping waves on beaches while the ocean etched new imprints into the stones’ changing landscape. Rocks echoed their neighbors’ curves, but each touted its own memorable pattern. The water sketched them with unique strokes, building a masterpiece of its own while I honored their harmonious collaboration, leaving only my footprint signature behind.
THE HOURGLASS OF TIME
While everyone easily observes the ocean rising and falling with each tidal shift, few notice these “sand tides.” Pay close attention over time to how sand appears and vanishes depending on the ocean’s capricious swells. Lapping summer waves deliver more sand, while raging winter storms deplete it. One of my prized locations, nicknamed “Buddha Rock,” embodies the remarkable sand tides with colossal fifteen-foot shifts. By knowing the location of each hidden rock, I can witness the hourglass of time as the sand lies in wait to be exposed and covered yet again.
THE SAND MIRRORS THE WATER
A signature motif of classic Japanese woodblock prints depicts how water wraps itself around rocks. While the surrounding conditions constantly shift, a universal pattern persists. Photographing how rocks on the beach are carved by water also exposed how the shape of the sand left after the falling tides mimics the ubiquitous wrapping pattern on land.