Making Eye Statements: Gathering, gathering...

“Gathering, gathering. Carrying my findings back to my desk.”

- Alissa York, Toronto Novelist,

as quoted in

An Enduring Wilderness/Toronto’s Natural Parklands -

Photographs by Robert Burley (ECW Press, 2017)

“This is the power of gathering: it inspires us, delightfully,

to be more thoughtful: in a word, more alive.”

- Alice Walters, American Chef

Over the last week, I have been spending many enjoyable hours reading Robert Burley’s wonderful new book, An Enduring Wilderness/Toronto’s Natural Parklands. The book was commissioned by the City of Toronto to commemorate the 150^th anniversary of Canadian Confederation. Robert, an accomplished photographer who teaches at Ryerson University, brings his sharp lens and even sharper eye to the parks, ravines, and forests that make Toronto such a transcendent place. The fact that he was raised in Picton, my hometown, and that we share a number of friends, makes the book that much more appealing. I have enjoyed messaging back and forth with him this week almost as much as his book.

Sprinkled throughout the book are musings from a number of Toronto writers, including Alissa York, Anne Michaels, and George Elliott Clarke. Their writings frame and illuminate Robert’s splendid photographs. It was Alissa York’s words, however, that struck a special chord: “Gathering, gathering. Carrying my findings back to my desk.”

What a perfect way to describe my approach to photography. And what a perfect focus for this week’s blog posting.

So – with thanks to both Robert Burley and Alissa York, I offer these photos, all gathered with my new camera this week. Enjoy.