Fire
I went to Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado in 2016 as a artist-in-residence to photograph the aftermath of wildfire. Most of the 52,000 acres of that enormous and extraordinary park have burned over the past 100 years, with a large portion of those fires occurring in the past 25 years. The frequency and ferocity of fires are increasing -- in large part due to global warming. I was drawn to the haunting beauty and sculptural forms of the juniper and pinon trees still standing in the aftermath of such fierce destruction. I was captivated by such beauty in such a wild and silent place.
I made most these photographs at dawn or in the waning twilight when the Western sky radiates with clarity and color. The hours I spent in stone silence waiting for the brilliant sun to fall below Sleeping Ute Mountain were filled with magic and meaning for me. Now, I realize what an extraordinary privilege it was to simply be there alone in that wild place with my eyes wide open.
Gregory Spaid, 2024
