Our Narratives
Encounters
A space dedicated to the quiet, unhurried experience of truly looking at something: the patience it takes, the unexpected connection that follows, the way a work of art can open a world that usually unfolds beyond our awareness.
Glacier Walk · Iceland · © Saumya Kesurvala
Among Mountains and Glaciers
It was late February, winter's final lap before it annually withdraws itself from this land of fire and ice. Like its landscapes, Icelandic winters are just as dramatic and extreme. Some days it would feel as if you were walking in a pristine paradise and other days as if both the sky and the land wish to brutally devour you by...
Stoat · Athose, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, France · © Jose Manuel Grandío
Twist and Jump
The stoat in the photograph above is doing what scientists call dancing. They have witnessed stoats (Mustela erminea) engaging in similar displays on many occasions, although opinions are divided about what motivates the leaps and twists. Sometimes the dances are performed in front of a rabbit or a large bird in a seeming...
Osprey sculpture in its final stages · Marietta, Georgia, USA · © Chris Wilson
Osprey: Research, Inspiration, Sculpting, and Carving
Every wildlife sculpture begins long before I touch a block of wood. It begins with watching.
About a year ago, one of my collectors asked whether I could carve his favorite bird, an osprey. From his home overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, he watched these remarkable birds catch fish almost every day...
Heterotrichia versicolor · Eldorado National Forest, Sierra Nevada, California, USA · © Timothy Boomer
So Much Beauty in So Little Space
When a friend introduced me to the fascinating world of slime molds, I was instantly captivated. I wanted to photograph as many species as I could. During the rainy season, they are not difficult to find in local woodlands or even my own backyard. But where I live in California's East Bay, the rains never last long...
Chilean Flamingos · Puerto Natales, Patagonia, Chile · © Carolina Aravena Costa
The Photograph I Never Brought Home
Ten years ago, I traveled to Patagonia for the first time, and there is one scene I still cannot shake.
It was April 13, 2016. The sky had turned red at dawn, and I spent the day happily taking photographs. By evening, my camera had ended up in the Paine River.
I cried, yes, but not because of the camera. I cried for the...
Forest Pool · Olympic National Park, Washington, USA · © Adelina Gowdy
What Returns: The Cycle of Life
Long before roads were cut through the landscape and rivers appeared on maps, the forests of the Olympic Peninsula were already alive. For the Coast Salish, Klallam, and Quinault peoples, forest, river, and wildlife have never existed as separate realms...