Marking on the flanks of animals, folding mountain ridges, insistent rocks exploding forth, decaying leaves, lichen invading the surface of rocks. These are all nature’s manner of pattern making.
At the same time, man has always attempted to tame nature to suit his needs. In doing so he has also created visual marks on the land. The gouges created can be horribly destructive to the Earth, but the patterns this creates can, at the same time, be visually quite intriguing.
Obviously, the farmland of Eastern Washington isn’t as extreme an example of man’s destructive capability as, say, the diamond mines in Africa or the coal mines of Appalachia, but I chose the Palouse region of Washington as the patterns created there are compellingly beautiful. I’ll never forget seeing them from my window seat in a small plane for the first time! It was a magical experience I’d like to repeat.
