Artist ’ s Corner
Artist ’ s Corner
Sandy Memories
By : Norman Schwartz ( https :// nsaphoto . myportfolio . com )
Editors Note : Norman Schwartz was an Artist-In-Residence in 2011 .
The Mojave National Preserve is bordered by two heavily traveled interstate highways . Driving at high speeds along these freeways leaves the impression the Preserve is bleak and featureless holding little interest for anyone much less a landscape photographer . But penetrate the borders of this 1.6-million-acre park , and one soon discovers the majesty of its interior . Sand dunes , volcanic cinder cones and flora abound . The Preserve is devoid of many things , but not nature ’ s beauty .
My goal during the artist in residence program was to depict to the viewer the scenery with the emotions I experienced as an observer . The bright colorful morning sky in print conveyed the warmth I felt just after sunrise even during the winter morning chill . The sand dunes at Kelso in black and white captured the serenity and loneliness one feels in a crowd . Shadows cast during the post sunrise and pre-sunset hours were crucial to meet this challenge and develop visual interest in the motionless vistas .
For me the Kelso Sand Dunes were the main attraction . Gazing upon these , up close or from afar , at sunrise or sunset , one ’ s fantasies could imagine being on another planet . Amazingly , as though by magical power , the shape and shadows would change almost daily . The friendly Park Ranger at Kelso Station explained how the wind , especially at night , would obliterate that day ’ s foot prints and on occasion exceptionally powerful gusts could alter the contour of the dune .
I envisioned photographing the majestic dunes from a distance to fill the frame with the full sculptured contours of the range . I remembered the advice of one of my teachers at an early photography class to always get closer and closer to the subject . As I approached the dunes , the wisdom of this mantra became apparent . What seemed like smooth sandy hills became scenes of textures forever changing into unique patterns . Some curved , some straight and most in rhythmic chaotic waves extending into the horizon . And each took on a new photographic composition as the sun set to the west .
One day while in a prone position with camera resting on a sheet of paper on the sand to compose the scene at a very low angle to accentuate the ripples , I notice some movement several feet to my left . My first thought was of wispy grass for I had not observed any creatures before . Within seconds , the deliberate movement of the object towards me provided the only living subject for my portfolio of the Preserve .
16 THE DESERT LIGHT | Sept / Oct 2018