Superstition Mountain 1999

Dana Hoey’s black and white photograph shows a woman standing in the Arizona desert, maybe sometime in the late 90s or early 2000s. I wonder what it was like for Hoey to make this image, out in the desert with the wind blowing? I see Superstition Mountain looming behind her, and a bunch of saguaros standing like sentinels. The model is facing away, lost in thought, maybe contemplating the mysteries of the desert. Her hair whipping across her face, she seems oblivious to the camera. The greyscale of the photograph emphasizes the starkness and isolation of the landscape. The contrast between light and shadow creates a dramatic effect. I find myself thinking about other artists who have been drawn to the American West, like Georgia O'Keeffe. Artists often inspire one another, you know. This photograph feels like a conversation with those artists, another meditation on the beauty and mystery of the natural world. It's a beautiful image, full of ambiguity and open to so many interpretations.