PARADISE LOST- 13.5 X 20″ framed canvas, originally $400, now $265

This award-winning* photo was taken in 2014 in the Columbia River Gorge area in Oregon. Forests have always called to me; like John Muir, I go into forests”… to lose my mind and find my soul.” The forests of the west coast in particular have always drawn me and I’ve been there several times. On one visit my cousin and I hiked into 5 different waterfalls, but this was the first and most powerful for me. We hiked into the forest behind Multinomah Falls along a cliff that ended up at this small waterfall and pond. We were surrounded by primeval trees and ancient moss living in the cracks of even more ancient rocks. We sat there a long time, saying nothing, just listening. I felt like I was in the garden of eden, everything was in balance, natural harmony. I called the image Eden for three years, until the Eagle Creek Fire in 2017 which burned over 50,000 acres, including this area. It was set by a teenage boy, who threw a firecracker into the forest to impress his friends. Innocence lost, he apologized sincerely afterwards, but Paradise was Lost, and so I renamed it. One day I hope to go back there and see what it looks like today, I know it will still be beautiful, just different. because Life is Indomitable

• In 2019 I submitted this photo to the Chromatic Awards International Photography Contest and won an Honourable Mention Award in Landscapes.