Since 1977 I have traveled the planet to portray reflections of our world as paintings on film. Together with vivid landscapes and cultural scenes, I especially love abstract impressionism. I hope you enjoy my colorful portraits of Earth, nature and humanity where I journey consciously, touch with my eyes, and leave no trace.

BODY OF WORK: THREE FINE ART COLLECTIONS

EARTH EROTICA: Celebrates the inherent beauty, creative power, and spiritual essence of sexuality as expressed in the landscape. This series illustrates how Earth's intimate geography mirrors human sexuality and eroticism through the sanctity of nature. As an artist and sexuality educator the sensual metaphors of Earth Erotica embody my lifelong commitment to convey a positive relationship between sexual enlightenment and spiritual wellbeing.

I am profoundly rewarded for my years dedicated to developing this collection (1981 - present). During exhibitions, counseling and workshops I am privileged to directly witness how my images produce a meaningful difference in peoples' lives; the heights and depths of human emotion and psyche touched, enjoyed, and healed. The Earth Erotica photographs challenge and inspire, granting viewers insight into our common essence and shared cultural conditioning. Interaction with Earth Erotica provokes high humor, wild imagination, unexamined prejudices, and sexual healing through a voice as universal and powerful as Nature herself.

WITHIN THE OBVIOUS: Earthy abstracts, nature close-ups, and panoramic landscapes reveal the infinite beauty of our planet. I love to compose elements of nature into striking patterns of color, contrast, shape, and texture. Within The Obvious photographs are derived from pristine mountain and desert wilderness, National and State Parks, and cultivated floral gardens. Expressing nature's full spectrum pallet this collections includes: serene desert washes of pastel rouge, indigo, and violet, sheer red rock walls stained ink-black with desert varnish, russet bentonite hills juxtaposed cobalt blue skies, white and gray winter clad waterways, crimson-tipped aspen in alpenglow, fragile purple columbine, glorious maroon and yellow heirloom sunflowers backlit at sunset, and more. (Gallery under construction)

ARTISTRY OF CULTURE: International impressions reflecting the magnificence of human diversity and architectural ingenuity. The Artistry of Culture collections portray everything attendant to humankind: attributes and details of architecture, mechanical and industrial forms such as abstractions of an 1860s millpond turbine and Archimedes Wheels, Medieval wrought iron gates, patina-rich early American West ranch tools, antique maritime scenes, indigenous peoples from world travels, ancient temples, pyramids, and sacred sites. (Gallery under construction)

My photographic process:
All images are composed and cropped through my lens in the field and neither photographs nor scenes are manipulated. Most of my images require long exposure times because I usually photograph outside in low ambient light with slow 35mm transparency film. To convey the delicacy and rhythm of flowers and foliage I wait hours for brief moments of stillness when breezes cease to rustle blossoms, petals, leaves and lanky stems. Often I am entwined within my tripod at ground level on kneepads in rocky terrain, sand, loam, or mud, or I may be found flat on my back photographing directly overhead into the undersides of flora, machinery or sandstone alcoves. When photographing my rock portraiture reflected ground light and bounce light provide illumination. To avoid camera shake, I wait for restless winds to calm from whipping up the very grit that carves these marvelous stone formations.

All three collections have evolved through decades of world travel, extensive hiking, thousands of road miles, dawn-till-dark days exploring the wilderness, plagues of biting bugs, stifling heat, bone-chilling cold, vast patience, and the evolution of spirit that comes from pushing through fear to realize an artistic vision. Each collection and associated series are works in progress. I continue to expand my photographic vocabulary to tell stories of genuine beauty, ephemeral light and abstract rhythms — and to originate fine art impressions of human sexuality in unity with the Divine forces that create our world.

Enjoy!
Heather Firth