A Word from Armond

In my Bio, http://earthlightimages.com/docs/biography.html., I mention my love for the Western movie.
My photograph “Dimming Of The Day” is meaningful to me at many levels. This photograph was taken at Monument Valley, which is where John Ford filmed one of John Wayne’s greatest Westerns “Stage Coach”. This film was, and continues to be, one of my favorites, and marks the beginning of my love of the western landscape.

One summer in the late 70’s I drove out west to photograph. After driving through Arizona and Utah for several days I came upon Monument Valley. It is entirely within the Navajo Indian Reservation on the Utah/Arizona border. After some conversation with the Navajo representative I was granted permission to camp there.

After dinner I set up my camera and laid back listening to some music. It was one of the times when everything was the way it should be. There is no time I cherish more that to be in a landscape that expresses the Divine; listening to music that I love; and waiting for the sun to go down, ending a wonderful day, and beginning a star filled night.

While waiting for the right moment, the clear sky clouded over and created a soft painterly palette. There was an instant when the soft quality of the sky draped the landscape in the warmth of the most extraordinary light. I made several exposures. Playing in the background was “Dimming of the Day”, a favorite song on the album titled “Pour Down Like Silver” by Richard and Linda Thompson. It was and still is one of my treasured albums (now in CD format).

Many year’s later on a Summer Saturday night, Richard Thompson performed at the Tower Theater in Philadelphia. I attended the concert. Early the next morning I went to The Head House Craft show to set up my exhibit and have some down time before the show opened.

I was sitting there reading when someone walked into my booth and commented how much he enjoyed my work, especially the one of Monument Valley. I looked up and immediately recognized the person. It was Richard Thompson. Little did he know that the photograph he liked was titled after one of his songs? I was thrilled to be in the company of one of the world’s greatest guitar players and singer songwriters. We talked for a while and I told him the above story. Before he left I gave him the photograph.

We talked about music, art, travel and many other things. We also agreed as artists, that it is always a privilege to share one’s work with an appreciative audience; and as artists, we hoped that our art could bring pleasure and fresh vision to new audiences. To experience this is my goal as an artist.

Please visit my website and feel free to share your impressions.

http://earthlightimages.com/index.html
Armond

PS
I highly recommend listening to “Pour Down Like Silver” by Richard and Linda Thompson as well as anything else they ever recorded.

Their music is a major part of the sound track to my life.
http://www.richardthompson-music.com/