​As a flower-oriented photographer, it has been rare that I see them get political. However, in the last few days, regardless where I go on earth, they are (and so it seems, so are their relatives: Trees and Rocks…) voicing their concerns about human government issues.
Why just the other day, in manual mode, shutter wide open, focusing deeply on the berries of Bella Donna, I overheard her cry. She was tearful but also infuriated with the latest UN report. As if in a state of rigor mortis, her berries began to drop as I was zooming in. My tears joined hers. I could not see any more. After near begging her for mercy and making an offering, I moved on.
I sat in front of a group of Asters, Black-eyed Susie’s, and a plethora of Queen Ann’s lace, all of them surrounded by small circles of Golden rod.  I almost had to put in ear plugs as they were sharply disturbed and making barely audible cackling sounds amongst themselves—near bickering about details--also of the same report.
 
I could barely believe my ears, but did--to hear them shout, “Revolution, we do not want to be destroyed!”
I rolled over and lay on my belly. Suddenly the earth beneath me began to rumble and slightly quake.  More tears rolling, I stretched out my arms to intently embrace and hear her. The winds picked up and leaves of the Oak, Pine, Cedar and local 400 million year old glacial rock all began to shout in unison too, “We will not stand for this—humans are just so greedy and things must change to protect us all”.
Dare I reach for my camera or better a video camera, I was beset with trembling fear and sensed  little reason could persuade humans in charge—as they may at all cost only want to protect their assets, and careless about fellow inhabitants who would suffer from too much pollution.
After cautious deliberation and using almost a full roll of toilet paper to wipe my eyes, I took out my camera. I focused on what was immediately round me and felt like I was about to photograph what were the representatives of flowers around the world.  Because it is a digital camera I was able to see the results immediately.
Nearly blown away, after 148 exposures, every single one looked like a movie in a still photo and more than that, the perspectives in each photo were not what I was seeing in the view finder. Instead, what appeared afar were now up-close and vice versa and more than that... Overall, even though it was a sunny day, all 148 pictures showed an overcast day. Albeit each flower before me looked healthy and robust, nearly all appeared wilted and prematurely plucked.
With no toilet paper or even a hanky for my eyes and tears flowing like a waterfall, I ran home. When I go there, there was a note on my door with a message from the famous florist delivery service and a lone flower carefully wrapped. The note said, “No longer can we serve”

 
On this Easter day, in the year 2020, we are being asked, compelled, and drawn to go deeply within ourselves to release (and allow to die) the parts of ourselves that are ready to transcend…
 We stand resurrected in our new truth and beauty. Collectively, we move forward in to an uncertain and awe-filled world having shifted so deeply that a new era cannot help but dawn….
The writing below is a moment in time that was experienced last summer.

Emergence
 
It was a brightly illumined summer’s day.
All should have felt right with the world….but…
First, there was an underlying sense of agitation.
This feeling grew to a deep feeling of anxiousness.
The choice was simple. I had to make my way to my favorite bench by the beloved waters of Lake Erie.
There, the sky kisses the waters and the waters caress the sand.
 Eyelids close as I settle on ‘my’ bench; offering calm to breath and allowing the stillness within to permeate the air.
The message came quickly and was very clear.
“You feel anxious because you have been in this chrysalis too long. It is time to emerge.”
A single tear met my cheek as this feeling of panic and tension swiftly lifted.
Upon opening my eyes, what flew in front of me, but a single monarch butterfly.
 
Then….
                    Another…..
                                                  And….
                                                                      Another…..
                                                                                                    And…
 
                                                                                                              Another…
A steady stream of tears met my cheeks now mixed with an awe-filled sense of wonder and gratitude.
I lost count that day…
This story, this myth felt so deeply personal that it has only been shared with a few cherished souls.
But now, at this incredibly pivotal moment in our collective history/herstory, it wants to be shared. You see, we stand at a crossroads of our souls deepest longing…
“You feel anxious because you have been in this chrysalis too long. It is time to emerge…”

​I see the world with my camera as a poet driven to share the multifaceted dimensions of our universe. I am most eclectic in choosing photo ops and studies. I am equally drawn to nature, landscapes, and macro work, as well as the unusual in cityscapes. My eye is always searching for composition, much with the eye of an abstract expressionist, sometimes an impressionist painter, and always as a photographer-poet. I am, however, equally moved to capture and illustrate the surreal and explore how the 'eye' can be fooled.


The mantra, 'Art is all around us - take a look', sings through me as I go about with my camera. I am always looking for sharp contrasts of texture and, of course, the magic of light and shadow upon a subject.

My approach is a poet-in-awe. Whether in cities or towns, I am most fascinated with diverse and sharp contrasts that include nature against human-made structures. I am perpetually impassioned with my lens to behold and share the 'extraordinary' in what may typically be considered 'ordinary'. In cities, I can often be found in alleys and in the woods, off the trails. In nature, I am looking for the poetry of the obvious. In both, I am very drawn to shared geometry, the play of light, symmetry and the eccentric/boldness in composition.

​Defining art or the creative process can be illusive, like trying to exemplify a sigh between lovers. So deeply personal is this endeavor, that one might be hard pressed to articulate its essence. But here, I will, in my own small way, attempt to grasp the nuances that make up both the creative process of photography and chinese brush/watercolor as it applies to my partner and me.
 
There is a perceptible shift in Brett when he takes camera in hand and is in some way moved by what he is witnessing. It is as if he and the camera are no longer separate as this flow of creation pulses through object and person. This interconnection quickens as just the right posture, movement and moment is selected to press the shutter. Here, in the depths of creativity, time stands still. A sacred document is created that reflects beauty, angst, juxtapositions or truth. It is with bated breath and deep anticipation that we make our way back to view on the big screen what secrets my beloveds soul has chosen to share with the world today.
 
On the other hand, we have the creative process that transpires when producing a water color or chinese brush painting. Here, the fingers, the brush and the paint become the means by which the soul’s longings can be made manifest. There is a dreamlike soft aura in the very texture of watercolor; like one could take a photo of a flower and dress it in gossamer threads. Here, there might have been and experience or an image of such beauty, that it is in some way wanting to be documented. When working with chinese brush, there is such an exquisite opportunity to be fully focused on the task, while simultaneously releasing all outcomes. Falling gracefully in to this illusive tension is what all artists strive to achieve. Here again in the depths of creativity, time stands still.
 
This creative seed dwells so deeply within each of us. It matters not what the medium. The truth is that before a photograph or painting is created, the world is a lesser place. By its very creation, a ripple of magnificence has been produced in this troubled and amazing world that did not exist before. Wow!
 
We hope that you view and appreciate this site with the same love and commitment that we have for the creative process.