Winter, northwest across dunes and tidal marsh inside the South Jetty, Clatsop County, Oregon 1990

Robert Adams made this gelatin silver print of the Oregon Coast, inside the South Jetty in Clatsop County. Looking at the image, I’m thinking about how much time Adams might have spent there, watching the clouds, feeling that cold northwest wind pushing the dunes. It's about seeing, really looking and tuning in to the subtle shifts in the sky. The tonal range is so compressed, it's almost vibrating. It’s all about the grays, not one standing out more than the other, all working together, you know? It's not about drama; it's about something more quiet. I look at this, and I think, what if I painted this? How would I capture that feeling? I'd probably mess it up, but that’s what it's all about, right? Trying, failing, and trying again. That's what connects us, this constant back and forth, learning from each other, across time, across mediums.