Photos by John Peterson Myers

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Artist's Statement : Uncommon View

I take inspiration from Georgia O'Keeffe's genius. Her work urges us to look at common things differently, close up. In doing this we find uncommon views that reveal beauty in form, and insight into nature's idiosyncracies. There is much diversity in life that should be celebrated.

No two chickadees are the same.

I often travel to distant lands, photographing exotic animals and remote landscapes. What I like about these images is that they are all of ordinary things, close to home. Most of them are from less than a tenth of a mile from my house, 14 miles west of Charlottesville outside of White Hall. A few are from "the Corner," in Charlottesville. And a small number are from a place I have visited regularly for 30 years, the San Francisco Bay area. Almost all are from the last 12 months, several within the last month.

Look closely at what is in your back yard
and you will gain a sense of the power of evolution and the beauty of nature.