For me, the landscape is not so much a scene made up of lots of smaller details all added together to present some kind of panorama. I’ve never been one to take in a big scene. Sometimes I ignore the “big picture” and focus just on some tiny details. Other times I will squint my eyes and let things go out of focus, loose all the detail and just be left with the scent and the colours.
In the forest #3
Even now when I look at this image, I can still recall the dryness of the air, the smell of burnt wood and I can feel the heat of the late afternoon autumn sun. The 2009 bushfires around Bridgetown caused lots of damage to both the the cultivated and natural environments. But the fires are part of a natural cycle, after the destruction comes regrowth …
In the forest #2
After the first rains the regrowth comes quickly. I love the colours of this image, the ochre coloured earth, the blackened trees, the green new growth and the gold of the sun. These are the colours of *my* Australia. These are the colours that ground me, these are the colours that fill me with joy.
A bit further south from Bridgetown are the forests around Pemberton. There it is cooler and wetter; the forests around here are so magnificent, but again it’s not the details of the scenery that captivate me it’s the colours, the shapes and the scent.
Pemberton before dark
Even after dark the colours of the forests remain. To be alone meditating in the forests makes me feel at peace with the world and myself. No sound, sight or smell of human activity – just the cool moist darkness while the forest comes alive with nightlife. Beautiful.
Pemberton after dark