SCHATZART

art by roman w schatz

Heading down the highway.

I am down in the south coast of NSW Australia, looking after my mother who is recovering from surgery. As I travel about 300 km every day to visit her in hospital I am observing the local reality.

The highway is frequented by log trucks and camper-vans, the local towns are full of men with beards, women in track suits pushing prams, shops which offer farming equipment and tie dyed goods, followed by local service clubs offering Australian and Chinese meals with instant bingo satisfaction. Driving in this monotonous landscape, I feel like I am in a Steve Earl song where I just want to get away from it all.

(download)

I dwell in the green mountain

Yesterday was a wonderful clear, but cold spring day in Switzerland.  I took the opportunity and went on a five hour hike.  Armed with my new camera, I  sought to capture the emotion of the day. 

You ask me why I dwell in the green mountain;
I smile and make no reply for my heart is free of care.
As the peach-blossom flows down stream and is gone into the unknown,
I have a world apart that is not among men. 
Li Bai (701 - 762)

(download)

Love, hopes and dreams - the enduring melancholy of autumn. (In memory of Jeanne Claude)

I love autumn!  I especially appreciate the season in the northern hemisphere where I am now.  Perhaps I am the only person in town that really gets excited when the fog settles in and the landscape becomes a monochromatic vision of melancholy. I find autumn a romantic season, a time that makes me feel nostalgic for past loves and dreams.  Today I photographed trees who in their silent beauty, embodied the passing of the season, and was reminded of the simple perfection in which Tang poetry celebrates the emotions of each season. 

This post is dedicated to the memory of Jeanne Claude (1935-2009), thank you for the inspiration.

Autumn Air
The autumn air is clear,
The autumn moon is bright.
Fallen leaves gather and scatter,
The jackdaw perches and starts anew.
We think of each other- when will we meet?
This hour, this night, my feelings are hard.
Li Bai (701 - 762)

all photos copyright  R.W. Schatz

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