About
MY BACKGROUND
Over the course of my geological career I’ve taken hundreds of photographs of rocks and minerals to show the geological features and relationships that I had observed during my field work and research. However, I was always drawn to the incredible, naturally artistic beauty of rock textures and not just their academic significance.
Texture is discerned through our finger tips and nerve receptors in our skin. It’s the feel of fabrics and materials that we use and touch every day. By the time we are born we have already honed our sense of touch, but our ability to visually perceive depth and texture requires longer to perfect.
Rock textures are created by the intergrowth, size variation and layers of crystals, minerals, fragments and fossils. As rocks are deformed within the earth’s crust they are folded and fractured and, under certain conditions, their original constituents and fabrics change, recrystallize and in some cases melt.
Created by forces of nature within distinct environments, rocks define moments in time. They are part of the processes that have built mountains, formed continents and torn the earth apart. Thus, a rock you hold in your hand is a natural time capsule and a snapshot of an event that may, among other things, have been caused by a volcanic eruption, flow of sediment within a submarine canyon or emplacement of a magma body deep within the earth’s crust.
As a geologist my observation of fabrics and textures helps me understand rock-forming processes. As such, rocks and the minerals and fossils that they are sometimes composed of, are not as inanimate as often thought. They tell incredible stories and are pieces of the puzzle we build to help us understand the dynamic history of the earth.
Life is also textured, but via the complex interwoven fabric of our feelings, thoughts and interactions. They are intrinsically inter-layered and evolve as our relationships and environments change. I believe life’s textures mimic those we see in nature. The building blocks of our psyche, our birth, childhood and metamorphosis into adults and the crystallization of our character, are biologically and environmentally controlled. The events that affect our lives can be subtle or cataclysmic. They define our strata and, as mountains are built via folding and thrusting, our lives develop through physical, emotional and cultural processes contorting our being, imprinting faults and scars and simultaneously emplacing changes. These events may momentarily change a small part of us or define us for the rest of our lives.
MY GOAL
Initially, I created these images out of curiosity and for my enjoyment. I found it fascinating to combine my love of geology and art through digital imagery. Some say my images represent who I am as a geologist. I believe they are more about human psyche and our connectivity and interaction with the natural world around us. Photographs often elicit feelings, but I will provide you, the viewer, with some background on the geological features represented and my interpretation of their possible human connection.
My hope is that those of you who visit this website, my Facebook and Instagram pages will enjoy my work enough to consider purchasing them or having me produce customized images.
Proceeds from sales will go to:
Heart and Stroke Research and
Mental Health
https://www.breakawayaddictions.ca
Please contact me for details.
Andy Abraham
BEYOND IMAGERY
The majority of people never stop to contemplate the rocks beneath their feet.
As a geologist I see every fabric, fold, fault, vein and crystal as integral parts of the processes that have formed the rocks I photograph. However, as an artist I see them as part of an evolving canvass fashioned millions and in some cases billions of years ago. Many of them were brought to the surface via cataclysmic events and exposed and enhanced by recent surface processes. Moving fractures that were once conduits for fluids have been frozen in time. Original minerals are physically and chemically altered creating new colours and shades.
To me, the beauty of geological textures is a testament to mother nature's innate ability to create art that stands the test of time.
My images are more than photos. Through my words and interpretation, I invite you to discover the human connectivity with nature.