Artist’s Statement

Pat Hopkins

We are each a product of our environment. Having lived in a rural and remote landscape for three decades, I connect what I observe with my love for nature, its creator, and my heritage. These three great loves have shaped my outlook and my creative eye to find beauty in the smallest of changes. These changes include the budding of a spring flower, the dew of the rain, or the ever-changing clouds in the sky. Even in the midst of these constant small transformations, I appreciate that there are aspects of the landscape that I call home that remain untouched. Yet, when I consider the flora, the fauna, the light, and weather conditions, I understand that I will never see the vista exactly the same way twice.

This body of work is my exploration of how time changes even the simplest landscape. The major landforms that I see from my property in this remote area of Southern California will hopefully remain unscathed by man-made development in my lifetime. But, by returning to the same exact location on various days and times, I was able to experience and capture photographically the remarkable ways in which this landscape would appear differently with every encounter.

With this methodical exercise, I am also able to display, within the same composition, the intricate balance of features, especially the overlapping layers of native vegetation, such as cacti, trees, shrubs, and grasses, with the occasional intrusions of man, consisting of structures, vehicles, and human forms that dot the distant landscape.