"Away"

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All living things have something in common - time. It charges through our lives like a river, sweeping us along through the channel and out into the great expanse of accumulated ages where history resides.

We enter the stream with hardly a ripple, just a bit of flotsam in an irresistible current. Occasionally, our heads break the surface, our vision clears and we see in all directions. The waters stretch out to either side and the sun bathes the cycles of nature as they spin down the current. We suck the precious air and try to carry that breath with us through the turbulence.

Moments like these are beautiful and rare. Like closing one's eyes when underwater, they slip away as time unseen when the mind is occupied with the details of living, especially in our complicated, modern society.

Being in the presence of the sea is like having my head above the turbulence for a moment. I can clearly see myself as just that small, floating speck without the weight to fully sink, or the mass to divert the flood. I lose the definition of self through insignificance while reveling in the depth of the view. At the same time, I'm able to look in all directions and see the other bobbing heads looking back, connected by the water, connected by time.

When we venture into the untamed elements, it causes us to see and experience with fresh intensity. I find my inspirations there, where artists throughout history have been moved to portray what they find most meaningful. I am simply treading the water for a moment and trying to share what I see.

Alex worked as crew aboard research and sailing school ships for many years when she first started photographing the sea. She now lives and works as the caretaker on the Isles of Shoals each winter, and has been photographing these islands for many years during the deserted winter months. All of her images have been personally hand developed and printed in her darkroom. Because of the traditional methods used, each image has its own unique qualities. They are printed, mounted and matted to archival standards and have been signed, dated and numbered.