Llewellyn Berry
On the River
Posted on February 13, 2011by Llewellyn Berry
There must be a correlation between my fiery (Leo) nature and many of the photographs I make. They seem to have a calmness about them. Perhaps inside this cauldron, there is a battle being waged between the fire and the ice; perhaps. I feel both have a rightful place in my artistic temperament and each seems to recognize kindred emotions that are visceral, as well as contemplative I don’t find a distinction between the visceral and the contemplative. It’s just that the visceral evokes a sense of urgency, intensity – fire and the contemplative one of thoughtful quiet serene even. They both find a coalescence that leads the visual to the making of a photograph. And, at any given time each one will come to the fore…
Many years ago my wife who is an extraordinary designer was contracted to provide landscape design for a client whose property rests on the banks of a river in Maryland. The property was extraordinary. How blessed the family was to have such an idyllic backdrop to their lives.
How blessed we were to be offered the opportunity to visit this property frequently.
My wife and her associates were actually creating a beautifully landscaped forest with perennials that would bloom seasonally for many years to come. It was spectacular in its design and each spring when we returned it was indeed a beautiful celebration of nature and the ability of humans to enhance natural beauty in the world.
I walked the property and made many photographs. From the banks of the river, I looked out on the water as I traveled over the property looking for subjects to photograph and avoiding the snakes (shudder).
I took many photographs, but one day as the sun rose on a thinly clouded morning, a silhouette of the boathouse and the pier along with a gradation of texture and tone from the sky and the water gave me a picture I thought was pretty interesting.
Soon I will be displaying color photographs and writing about how black and white can often transcend color for a myriad of reasons.
But, for now, here is a photograph I made in Harwood, Maryland.
Boathouse on the Bay
Harwood, Maryland
1994