Hearts Need Art is a nonprofit in San Antonio, TX, that makes engagement with the arts real and accessible to people facing life-altering health challenges. They are in the business of “creat[ing] moments of joy, self-expression and connection” with patients in healthcare settings through individual and group arts activities, visual, verbal and musical.

What a wonderful vision and mission! I am honored to be in their current online art exhibition, and even more to have been awarded an Honorable Mention by juror Christopher Rabb.

The theme of the online show is “I no longer fear death, I fear not living.” I submitted Cloud Fall because one of the things it says to me is that falling is not the end of beauty, or life, for that matter. It’s what we do with falling that matters.

Artists were invited to submit a statement with their art, and these statements appear with art in the online show, which you can see here. Here’s part of what I said:

I spend as much time as possible seeking #CreatureEncounters through my camera. They speak to me of both the fragility of earth and its resilience and ability to regenerate and heal from the neglect and abuse of humankind. They remind me that a bird eats a fish in Louisiana and a child goes hungry in Africa. They remind me of the  brotherhood and sisterhood of species and my embeddedness among them.

My encounter with a fallen cloud happened on the Wild Azalea Trail in the Kisatchie National Forest in the central part of Louisiana. It was late afternoon. The light was fading and with great reluctance at ending a lovely outing, I was walking back toward my car. It would soon be too dark to shoot.

I have no recollection what caused me to turn and look back toward the dip in the terrain I had just come through. Maybe a sound? Maybe just one more wistful regret that I had to leave? In any case, I was stopped in my tracks. A luminous cloud had settled into the dip. I had time for just three frames and then the light faded.

BTW, the art is for sale and benefits Hearts Need Art. In addition, there’s a “GIVE” button in the upper right corner of the website.