Postcards from the Sublime grew out of my interest in Monument Valley and the contrast between its ancient landscape and the contemporary activity within it. The stone formations, shaped over millennia by the forces of nature, feel timeless, while the area, straddling the Arizona–Utah border in the heart of the Navajo Nation, is also shaped by a different force: tourism, with hotels, trading posts, and guided tours for visitors from around the world.
Like many of these visitors, my idea of the American West was formed before I ever arrived, through movies, advertisements, and yes, postcards. In Monument Valley, I couldn’t ignore the gap between those images and what I encountered. This led me to photograph Monument Valley as it is experienced today rather than as it has traditionally been depicted. I was drawn to moments where the natural and man-made unexpectedly converged, revealing the tension between a place and the myths that surround it.
Through these photographs, I invite viewers to consider Monument Valley not only as an enduring symbol of the American West, but also as a living place—one where the Monument Valley we think we know meets the one that stands before us.
