MEXICO, 2022

The Colorado River begins just south of the continental divide as nothing more than a trickling stream. As it descends the Rockies, it feeds on meltwater and cleaves through rock to form deep snaking canyons. However, extreme drought across the west has driven the river system to an all-time low. By the time it reaches sea level in Baja, Mexico, its last-remaining branches of freshwater fan out to form giant, sprawling trees in a bid for the ocean. From the window of a two-seater flying low over the earth’s crust, I captured the last leg of its journey elegantly scrawled in silt.

Heartbreaking in its weakened state and yet breathtaking in its resilience, it was as if the very lungs of our earth were exposed. The fractals branching across the surface mirrored the veins in my arm like a thread weaving all living creatures into the landscape’s tapestry. I felt exhilaration rising in my chest as we flew over branches upon branches of elaborate designs all carved by nature’s delicate hand; the first and greatest artist. Out of the thousands of images I captured during the flight, only a handful of candidates have made it to print.