The Story of the Collection
For this collection of art prints in my theme of « shades of blacks and whites », I wanted to explore the calm, the tranquility, and the serenity of the great landscapes in the United States. I chose very refined and ethereal scenes with atmospheres that invite the viewer to introspection.
I chose to show natural landscapes in Yellowstone National Park, in the state of Wyoming. All photographs were taken during the winter, when everything is blanketed with immaculate white snow.
Snow evokes a sense of coldness, serenity, and virginity. It creates a timeless dimension to the landscapes it covers. Snow evokes purity.
The snow conveys solitude without sadness. For me, walking in the snow is a voluntary withdrawal from outside life, if only for a few hours or a few days to simply think and dwell on ideas for new projects.
Snow is a mantle that covers the earth in anticipation of spring, when the grass will grow back, and the flowers will reappear. Symbolically, what is hidden under the snow represents a profusion of promises. These are future professional or personal projects that will materialize when the summer heat returns.
Since the snow will melt away when spring arrives, it is a reminder that time is temporary and change inevitable.
In order to further accentuate the sense of purity, I chose to stage very refined and ethereal landscapes. Yellowstone is the largest caldera in the world. There are many fumaroles. When they surround the trees, they evoke softness and warmth, cascading down around us.
The trees I have chosen to focus on often grow alone, isolated in an immaculate snowpack. I wanted to highlight its loneliness as well as its strength and resistance against the harsh natural elements. Temperatures in Yellowstone can drop to -45 degrees Celsius (-49 degrees Fahrenheit) during winter. However, the trees survive these extreme temperatures.
