Autumn Storm, Los Trampas, near Penasco, New Mexico c. 1958 - 1981

Ansel Adams made this photograph, "Autumn Storm, Los Trampas, near Penasco, New Mexico," with a camera, of course, and a darkroom, though I'm not sure when. Look at the range of greys, from the almost white trees to the black clouds, it reminds me of printmaking, like a lithograph with its reliance on tonal range. I love how the eye travels through this photograph, pulled in by the dark drama of the sky, then softly landing on that little building in the distance, the church perhaps? The texture of the trees are incredible, I can almost feel the wind blowing. That church in the distance is like a tiny beacon of hope, nestled in this landscape that feels both familiar and otherworldly. Adams did so many photographs of landscapes, and he reminds me of Georgia O'Keefe, especially as they both find a way to find the sublime in the everyday. Ultimately, I think art is about seeing the world in new ways, and about opening up possibilities of experience.