A Journey West
In September 2024 my wife Lyn, and I made a road trip to Portland, Oregon from Kansas City. We spent two nights in Colorado Springs, five nights in Moab, two in Salt Lake City, and two in Boise, Idaho before driving on to Portland. I mostly kept my cell phone in my pocket on the trip so I could be present in my surroundings. I wanted to feel everything, listen, and learn.
The landscape is a mix of incredible beauty but also many harsh realities. It is littered with spikes and bristles, the heat can be exhausting and the ground extremely dusty. Still, there is a quiet confidence and stability in the beautiful rock formations; a perfect sereness in the patterned skies; and a delicate intimacy with the trees and plants. It was nourishing to drink from the deep groundedness of the lansdcape.
Whenever I’m in nature, I’m drawn to texture, line, color, shape, and form. These elements inform my design work. Below are a few detail shots where these elements reveal rich inspiration for layering, composition, and juxtaposition.
Below is a panoramic video of Monticello Valley and Dead Horse Point in Southern Utah.