Introduction
This Limited Edition folio of unbound photographs is from an early stage of my photography work from 1973 to 1985, while I
was photographing the natural landscape. Growing up in the Midwest, I had enjoyed the small intermittent woods and slow
meandering creeks found just beyond our suburbs. There, I found moments of quiet solitude and the fragrances of early
spring, the heavy greenness of summer, or perhaps the coolness of a late crisp Fall.
I do not fully understand what attracted me to these compositions, and over time, it seems that I am more interested in the
close or medium views, not usually the grand landscapes. I was attracted by the underlying organic shapes, lines, textures
and tonal values. And I have tried to define each geographical region by sensitivity to the area’s light and space.
My photographs are my emotional response to the rocks, trees, running water, weeds and wild flowers. The hardness and
heaviness of the rocks are the bedrock of our existence. Water is the lifeblood, flowing through the landscape and nurtures
and sustains the trees, brush and plants. The trees can endure for many years, while the flowers and grasses are more
temporary, much like our existence.
I realize that I am trying to explore the foundations of life, both physically and metaphorically. It may be possible that the
natural landscape and the photographs created from it can be metaphors for other experiences and feeling.
I have found myself repeatedly drawn to certain subjects, while trying to be open to the direct experience of creating the
photograph. Nature is complex and it seems that we try to seek and extract simpler patterns, attempting to create order out of
chaos.
I am not attempting to create photographs of the natural landscape as a documentary record keeper. These photographs
investigate the passage of time, traces of history and the impermanence of nature.
Doug Stockdale, April 2009
Foundations
Landscapes: 1975 - 1985
Editioned Folio
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