Artist Statement
My images express a harmony of contrasts; calm in the midst of uncertainty. Balanced within a landscape of change and motion there is a compelling grace. Old redwood stumps and limbs now have new life as driftwood, blown with sand or wedged into rocks; migrants in a new land. I kneel down to explore the soft, delicately balanced curves of wood or rock that have been sculpted by waves or windblown sand and see an ancient landscape. Through the process of exploring the meeting of sand and rock, the front edge of a wave or the still motion of rippled sand I see the interplay of differences, their unity and grace.
As I begin to explore a beach or river and after enjoying the more immediate view my attention is drawn in more deeply. I find that in nature’s subtle details the significance of the individual’s unique characteristics become apparent and it is here that the ordinary is elevated to extraordinary. Rivulets of water separated from the larger river, sculpted rocks, ever shifting sand dunes and transitory evening shadows each uniquely compose the greater whole. Through these intimate landscapes of individual textures and layers I explore the aesthetic structure and contemplative mood they create.
As Marcel Proust said, “the real voyage of discovery consists not in seeing new landscapes but in having new eyes”. I’ve found this to be true as I re-visit familiar places again and again. Each time a fresh mosaic of scenery emerges as familiar pieces are moved and new forms present themselves. With each visit I have come to appreciate these places more deeply as they share with me, through tenuous ever changing guises, their tranquil beauty.
- Michael McCoy
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As I begin to explore a beach or river and after enjoying the more immediate view my attention is drawn in more deeply. I find that in nature’s subtle details the significance of the individual’s unique characteristics become apparent and it is here that the ordinary is elevated to extraordinary. Rivulets of water separated from the larger river, sculpted rocks, ever shifting sand dunes and transitory evening shadows each uniquely compose the greater whole. Through these intimate landscapes of individual textures and layers I explore the aesthetic structure and contemplative mood they create.
As Marcel Proust said, “the real voyage of discovery consists not in seeing new landscapes but in having new eyes”. I’ve found this to be true as I re-visit familiar places again and again. Each time a fresh mosaic of scenery emerges as familiar pieces are moved and new forms present themselves. With each visit I have come to appreciate these places more deeply as they share with me, through tenuous ever changing guises, their tranquil beauty.
- Michael McCoy
home
