Not to get too ethereal here but in geologic time , we humans only experience these landscapes for a mere blip . We aren ’ t around long enough to witness these environments evolve . According to Texas A & M University , the Sahara Desert was once a tropical rainforest https :// phys . org / news / 2016-12-years-sahara-tropicalwhat . html , as were many parts of the Southwest United States ( see Petrified Forest National Park , AZ ). Scientists say that millions of tons of desert sand from the Sahara blow around the globe annually , collecting on beaches and influencing ecosystems . Particles that were once the undergrowth of a giant forest nestle in this wind born cacophony of ancient life , perhaps helping to germinate renewed forests on distant shores . Some scientists say that most of life on Earth is a product of blowing desert sand . Could that mean we are all part of the desert ? Maybe it ’ s why so many of our artists at MNPAF feel grounded in its surroundings .
So it is here that we find our latest Artist-in-Residence , Lu Ross , in the present , looking back in time , to gain perspective and connection to Mojave through her photography . She ’ s defined her approach through the lines , shapes , texture , and color of the desert landscape using four elements – earth , wind , fire , & water . Entitled “ Elements of Mojave ,” she tells a story as old as history itself , freezing it through her lens .
Lu ’ s work inspires contemplation and connects us to a landscape the way some of the masters of her chosen field of art have in the past . She ’ s captured emotive light in lava tubes , found faces in ancient formations , framed fire torn trees in stark poses indicative of her hero , Ansel Adams ’ images and presented a dry lake bed in an almost cubist style . The collection is a tour of time itself . Walking though the Desert Light Gallery with her prints , I find myself being transported to these places and wishing to remain .
The desert sands continue to blow shaping our world and Mojave into new and interesting formations . As our earth warms and climates adjust to this new reality the microscopic organisms that hitch a ride on the trade winds may be locked to their lands due to additional moisture or other changing weather patterns . Lu has captured this moment in Mojave in an exciting and unique way .
Lu Ross in her “ element ” at Mid Hills
As the luxury jet ’ s wheels lightly touched down , I was brought back to the real world . Wandering amongst the clouds at sunset was only a brief respite from my responsibilities . Although , through Lu ’ s work , I find I can always escape to the open and intrinsically inviting Mojave .
Sep / Oct 2017 | THE DESERT LIGHT 17