Natural Disclosures
Big Picture
Sometimes, the small screen just can’t get it. Neither is the modest size image on the wall.

A good story has multiple characters, and the elaborate interplay between them and the main character makes the story more engaging and memorable. The merit of a portrayed character should be up to the viewer's scrutiny on a stage wide enough for the viewer's imagination.

This area of Ontario contains the world's largest remaining old-growth red pine forest. That alone kept me coming here for more than two decades.



This area of Ontario contains the world's largest remaining old-growth red pine forest. That alone kept me coming here for more than two decades.
Doing something or not is a subject of scrutiny for reasons. Wolf Lake is surrounded by a mining concession, which means an ongoing tag of wars. On the other hand, I have loving memories of family outings in the red pine forest; apparently, it meant something to me. Over the decades, I accumulated many sketches photographed with small cameras while visiting this area. It is my working material before undertaking each large image project.

Morning view of one of many lakes at Lake Superior Provincial Park, Ontario. For years my overnight stops while travelling to northern Ontario.



Morning view of one of many lakes at Lake Superior Provincial Park, Ontario. For years my overnight stops while travelling to northern Ontario.
Making large high-resolution images is complex as it requires planning and sets of right external conditions. It needs highly specialized equipment, large and heavy, to get on location. Failure and multiple attempts were the calculated risk factors.

Spring wetland environment near Minesing village, Ontario.



Spring wetland environment near Minesing village, Ontario.
The world is far more complex than I am willing to admit or assess at a first encounter. I need a distance to evaluate underlying connections and processes. And to envision the stage for them where a story can play itself out. Doing it on location is almost impossible.

The Reforestation trail in Dundas Valley. Unique northern corner of Carolinian Forest, previously stripped of its original biosphere and converted to farmland. A handful of visionary initiated restoration processes, with the generosity of land donors, to bring back what was there before.



The Reforestation trail in Dundas Valley. Unique northern corner of Carolinian Forest, previously stripped of its original biosphere and converted to farmland. A handful of visionary initiated restoration processes, with the generosity of land donors, to bring back what was there before.
One needs a distance from daily routines to put things together that matter. It is a state of mind to see the hidden. Whatever it takes, it's worth it.
