SOLITUDE

While both Crowded Slopes and Solitude look at man's relationship with the alpine environment, one portrays our urge to socialise, colonise and dominate while the other represents a more solitary, romantic experience against the uncontrollable power of the natural world. Solitude attests to our insignificance and vulnerability against the power of the natural world. In this way, I am more directly inspired by the Romantic tradition – evoking feelings of mystery, silence and solitude – or what remains of the experience of solitude. These emotions are implicit in vast empty space, diminutive human presence and the mystical qualities of the landscape. However, unlike the work of the German Romantics and American 19th century artists and writers, these images document contemporary concern for the environment and the traces we leave behind.