The Measure of Time

The Measure of Time explores how time reveals itself in the arid landscapes of the American Southwest. Canyons, exposed rock, and weathered sandstone record geological processes that unfold across immense spans of time. Successive layers of limestone, sandstone, and other sedimentary rocks preserve a record of changing environments over millions of years. Their contrasting colors, textures, and patterns make the passage of geological time visible within the landscape. Within these landscapes, junipers endure for decades or centuries despite limited rainfall. Their twisted trunks and exposed roots reflect a different, more humanly comprehensible measure of persistence.

At the other extreme are desert wildflowers. Their seeds can remain dormant beneath dry soil for years as they await the right combination of moisture and conditions. When that moment arrives, the flowers briefly transform the landscape with color before disappearing again.

By bringing together ancient stone, long-lived trees, and fleeting blossoms, The Measure of Time considers endurance, adaptation, renewal, and the different rhythms of the natural world. My goal is not simply to describe these places. I hope to encourage the viewer to slow down, look closely, and consider the very different ways we can see and experience time within a single landscape.

Expansive view of the Grand Canyon, with overlapping mesas, steep cliffs, and deeply eroded rock formations receding into the distance. Soft golden evening light catches the upper edges of the layered formations, while deep shadows and atmospheric haze create a muted palette of reddish-brown, lavender, and gray beneath a pale, cloud-streaked sky.

A small green tree grows from a narrow crack in a pale limestone outcrop overlooking the Grand Canyon. Immense layered cliffs, deep shadowed ravines, and reddish rock formations stretch into the distance, while warm sunlight illuminates portions of the canyon walls beneath a dramatic, cloud-filled sky.

A solitary green tree grows on a narrow, sunlit sandstone ledge beneath a massive overhanging rock formation at the Grand Canyon. Beyond the tree, immense reddish-brown canyon walls, steep slopes, and deep shadowed ravines descend into the distance, emphasizing the dramatic difference in scale between the small tree and the surrounding landscape.

A solitary green juniper grows near the edge of a pale, layered sandstone outcrop in Canyonlands National Park, Utah. Weathered roots stretch across the rock, while steep red sandstone cliffs and broad canyon formations extend into the distance. Snowcapped mountains rise along the horizon beneath a softly clouded sky.

A weathered juniper with a deeply twisted, sculptural trunk and exposed pale wood stretches its living green branches over a rocky desert landscape, with red sandstone cliffs and distant blue mountains beneath a partly cloudy sky.

Weathered juniper trees with twisted, sculptural trunks and green foliage grow along a sandstone rim in Canyonlands National Park, Utah. A prominent juniper rises in the foreground, overlooking layered red-rock cliffs and distant mesas beneath an expansive blue sky.

Twisted, weathered juniper tree growing against a red sandstone cliff, with sculptural gray wood, exposed roots, and green foliage extending outward.

Close-up of a weathered juniper tree with a dramatically twisted trunk and smooth, flowing wood grain forming sweeping curves beneath dense green foliage dotted with pale blue berries. Dead branches intertwine with living growth above the reddish desert floor.

Fine-art nature photograph of delicate white desert wildflowers blooming along the Grand Canyon rim in Arizona, with softly blurred sandstone cliffs in the background. The image contrasts seasonal desert blooms with the ancient geological landscape.

Close-up of small purple desert wildflowers with vivid violet petals, yellow markings, and fine, silvery hairs surrounding their bases. The blossoms emerge from slender woody branches with tiny gray-green leaves, standing out against a softly blurred reddish-brown desert background.

Two delicate white desert primrose flowers bloom on slender stems against a softly blurred reddish-brown background. One blossom faces the viewer, displaying broad white petals, a bright yellow center, and long pale stamens, while the second flower is viewed from the side.

A flowering Prince's plume plant with tall spikes of golden-yellow blossoms grows in the red desert soil of Monument Valley, Arizona. A massive sandstone cliff rises behind the wildflowers beneath a dramatic sky filled with dark clouds and patches of blue.