BYGONE PATTERNS
The idea for Bygone Patterns came to me while exploring the abandoned dreams of early American miners, ranchers, and homesteaders. I found myself examining the oxidized metals and other detritus left behind by these earlier visitors to desert wastelands, wondering how they managed to survive in places of blistering heat and episodic rainfall. And as I discovered their rusted tools, broken gears, and corroding machines, I began to wonder just what these discards’ purpose was and did they act as stand-in metaphors for settlers' lives now deserted.
But it wasn't until I began experimenting with my raw images that I began to discern the patterns of the abstract allegories hidden within, the memories of the old one’s voices, hushed under and hidden by the inexorable advance of early American settlers. The Pictographs and iconographic symbols of southwest natives, rooted in their art, customs, and fabrics, slowly began to reveal themselves.
Exploring abstract and symbolic connections between ancient peoples and western civilization’s first settlers significantly influences my metaphysical designs.
Arrival
Arrival represents a journey through the layers of texture and time. When I first captured the metal fragments, I was struck by the natural erosion and rust patterns that had formed over time. To me, this piece feels like an arrival point, as though it tells the story of a long journey shaped by the elements and time itself. The symmetrical forms evoke a sense of balance and permanence, yet there’s still an undercurrent of energy and change. For me, Arrival is about finding beauty in the process of decay and renewal, where every scar and mark becomes part of the story.
Chaotic Interactions
Inspired by the rugged textures and muted colors of discarded metal scattered across the Mojave Desert. I was particularly fascinated by the way the blues, yellows, and dark tones came together to create a sense of depth and mystery. The final result feels almost like a portal—something both industrial and organic. My goal was to show how even the most unassuming, forgotten objects can possess an inherent beauty when seen from a different perspective.
Chaus Spaces
Desert metal turns into a chaotic pattern of abrupt reds, greys, and tans with luminescence framed by oxidation. I played with the light in time, shifting the emphasis throughout this artwork from a simple piece of abstract art to a mystery of emotions and stories.
Crystal Dancers
Silica sands at the macro level overflow with the fanciful dreams of tribal ceremonies. Looking closer, the image depicts multiple stories, each with a different narrative, a narrative only to be understood by individuals who takes the time to examine their inner thoughts, their fears, their triumphs, and their life.
Deep Blue Depths
My fascination with how light interacts with texture, creating an almost oceanic quality in something as solid and grounded as metal, inspired me to create this art print. I worked with this piece to amplify the cool, deep blues, allowing the darker tones to pull the viewer into a feeling of depth and mystery. The intricate patterns remind me of underwater landscapes, with layers upon layers that suggest both movement and stillness and the sensation of being submerged, where clarity and ambiguity coexist.
Entropic Explosion
This art print emerged from my fascination with the chaotic beauty in the Mojave Desert's abandoned metal pieces. In this image, I wanted to emphasize the vibrant, almost volcanic energy of rust and decay, capturing the way time and the elements reshape the metal into something unexpected. The interplay of intense orange and cool blue tones creates a dynamic tension, evoking both destruction and renewal.
Faces of the Warrior
Preserved within this metal shield created from abandoned metals, I found and presented the faces of brave combatants, those who, in prior years, defended their peoples, their ideas, and their lives. Abandoned metals have been repurposed to remind us of the history of those who came before.
Golden Dispersal
In this piece, I explore the textures and patterns of discarded metal found in the Mojave Desert. I was drawn to the way these small, abandoned fragments—forgotten in a harsh environment—could be transformed into something entirely new. The warm, golden tones reflect the desert’s sun-soaked landscape, while the patterns suggest a hidden beauty within the discarded.
Illuminating Galaxies
This image came to life from my fascination with how something as grounded as a piece of metal can evoke the infinite. I wanted to transform these discarded fragments into something that feels cosmic—an abstract representation of galaxies and star clusters. In post-production, I enhanced the glowing, fiery hues, creating the illusion of distant stars and nebulae. The intricate patterns and radiating lines remind me of the vastness of space and the energy coursing through the universe.
Illusional Facade
In this art print, I wanted to explore how light, and texture can create an almost hypnotic sense of illusion. The metal I photographed in the Mojave Desert had intricate, wave-like forms that reminded me of both organic structures and industrial decay. By playing with symmetry, I was able to enhance that sense of ambiguity—what looks like a natural formation could just as easily be a man-made artifact.
Legions of Warriors
Preserved within this metal shield created from abandoned metals, I found and presented the faces of brave combatants, those who, in prior years, defended their peoples, their ideas, and their lives. Abandoned metals have been repurposed to remind us of the history of those who came before.
Peyote Weave
Threads of Peyote pink and stone turquoise weave to form fertility patterns. Does the fertile mind need the addition of a mind-altering substance, or better, could that same mind make its way through and within this image, decode its message, navigate its journey, and arrive at its destination, curiosity quenched?
Red Madrid
Our wise Natives used art and colors for aesthetic pleasure, for story-telling and for remembering their history – there may have been no concept or even word for art in their languages, and yet they created art, art that I’ve recreated from the abandoned metals of the Mojave Desert with a camera and pigment on paper.
Renaissance Umber
The Eastern Mojave Desert is littered with bits and pieces of the miners’ past. I captured and created this abstract and brought this oxidized memory back to life with a unique image-altering approach, releasing the Desert’s past memories to the present.
The Golden Weave
Threads of gold with a symmetrical weave form multiple patterns on an umber space. What could this represent, and more, just what natural or manmade objects could be the basis for this art?
The Long Trail in Orange
I created this pattern with a unique close-up of discarded metals on a blue background and discovered ancestral designs from the old ones - ones who came before, lived their truth, passed along their knowledge, and assumed their place in history. Modern-day viewers might not think or see the narratives of old, yet their interpretations and narratives are no less valid and worthy.
The Shield
I was intrigued by the mix of shades of yellow, a Native color for divinity and a shield for ceremonial control. This abstraction is also an image of the sun’s radiation, equally life-affirming and mysterious.
Turquoise Spirits
Throughout the arid world, native and aboriginal peoples revered turquoise for spiritual reasons. The tranquility of turquoise spirits inspired me to create this abstract image to venerate a time of calm and peace.