Memories of Arcadia was the beginning of my reintroduction to landscapes and Romanticism. For a while I struggled with how exactly I wanted to approach nature, especially after spending so much time as a portrait and abstract artist. Thinking back to my childhood, I remembered how I would play with my sister and friends in the woods behind our house, pretending to be witches, fairies, or deities. Similarly, exploring the New Mexico desert at my grandparents’ house echoed those same sentiments. The outdoors was strange, but not a stranger. It is a friend, wild and free, who will be a constant companion no matter where you are.
It was during this reminiscence that I came across the term “Arcadia,” referring to both a region in Greece and a pastoral utopia, a long lost and unspoiled landscape. Representations of this mystical, idyllic setting often coincide with Romantic notions of the rejection of industrialism and the rigid structures of society. Seems harmless enough, but Euro-centric depictions often use the landscape as an unattainable symbol, something akin to a weekend in the country, an ephemeral moment of fancy. It also relies on colonialism and a denial of the privilege and violence that allows those benefiting from a racist and classist system to see the natural world as a vacation spot, and not a graveyard strewn with memories of genocide and destruction. I argue that Arcadia should be regarded as a social ideal, and exists all around us as long as we look for it and earnestly work together towards a healthier, more just world.
In 2018 I returned to my parents’ house in Oregon, and there I was able to catch glimpses of this “idyllic” scenery and ponder my role in healing and preserving the planet and its people. Walking among the fields and mountains, I search for the sublime in all its forms, all the magic you can find through the eyes of a child. Each of these photographs is a moment of wonder, where the song of life pauses for a brief moment and you can breathe in sync with all living things around you. The camera once more has become an extension of my body, allowing me to follow the light wherever it takes me, retracing the steps of my memory, and rediscovering Arcadia. Thus I begin to document the romance of my ever changing surroundings.
It was during this reminiscence that I came across the term “Arcadia,” referring to both a region in Greece and a pastoral utopia, a long lost and unspoiled landscape. Representations of this mystical, idyllic setting often coincide with Romantic notions of the rejection of industrialism and the rigid structures of society. Seems harmless enough, but Euro-centric depictions often use the landscape as an unattainable symbol, something akin to a weekend in the country, an ephemeral moment of fancy. It also relies on colonialism and a denial of the privilege and violence that allows those benefiting from a racist and classist system to see the natural world as a vacation spot, and not a graveyard strewn with memories of genocide and destruction. I argue that Arcadia should be regarded as a social ideal, and exists all around us as long as we look for it and earnestly work together towards a healthier, more just world.
In 2018 I returned to my parents’ house in Oregon, and there I was able to catch glimpses of this “idyllic” scenery and ponder my role in healing and preserving the planet and its people. Walking among the fields and mountains, I search for the sublime in all its forms, all the magic you can find through the eyes of a child. Each of these photographs is a moment of wonder, where the song of life pauses for a brief moment and you can breathe in sync with all living things around you. The camera once more has become an extension of my body, allowing me to follow the light wherever it takes me, retracing the steps of my memory, and rediscovering Arcadia. Thus I begin to document the romance of my ever changing surroundings.
