TOUCHSTONES

TOUCHSTONES is an ode to my exploration of Scotland. Over 4 years and nearly 30 weeks of travel, these images became the metaphor of my journey. I was seeking and exploring a new land and a new way of seeing had just embraced the 5×12 format view camera. I traveled some of the time with my friend, Donald Stewart but much of my wandering was solo, stopping and photographing where I was drawn.

Scotland spoke to me in a profound and personal way. Waking in the highlands after my first night, I immediately understood why so many Scots settled in Appalachia. It was a familiar landscape, one in which they understood how to live and work. I think the Scottish Highlands also felt familiar to me, having gone to college and lived over a decade in the mountains of East Tennessee.

Dervaig, Mull, Plate 1

One of my reasons for going to Scotland was to see and photograph standing stones. They are everywhere in Scotland, in all sizes, appearing as singles or small or large groups. Donald took me to this row of three stones on the island of Mull. It was late in the afternoon and began raining as we started photographing. The two exposures I made were each over 5 minutes in length. The combination of prolonged exposure and rain combined to create a feeling of mystery and isolation.

Duke and Duchess of Argyll, Plate 10

This tomb of the Duke and Duchess of Argyll rests in the Abbey at Iona. Why she wears a crown, and his is at his feet I don’t know. They lie like timeless sleeping beauties, their effigies carved in beautiful marble. I have a print of this image in my darkroom to remind me of what a lovely platinum print can look like.

Blackadder Nave, Glasgow Cathedral, Plate 15

Glasgow Cathedral is the only cathedral that survived the Reformation with its roof intact. Blackadder Nave is a side chapel off of the main church. It is painted white and glows. As I walked down the steps into the cathedral, I knew exactly where I had to place my camera and what lens to use. The 5×12 camera was the perfect tool to capture this image of floating stone arches.

St. Columba’s Chapel, Iona, Frontispiece

A legend on Iona states that if you bring a stone from your home on your pilgrimage to Iona and leave it there, you will someday return. I spent most of a wet and cold fall day photographing in this small chapel on the grounds of Iona Abbey. I became fascinated by these stones, which were placed on the windowsill by visitors in hopes of returning to Iona in the future. They left a little of themselves on Iona and took a bit of Iona with them in their souls. They are my TOUCHSTONES, my hope that I will always return to Scotland and that Scotland will always be in my soul.