I'm reading this fascinating book, "Art and Physics - Parallel Visions in Space, Time and Light" by Leonard Schlain. It's an amazing read. Schlain covers the parallel developments of art (mostly painting) and physics from the Classical Greek period to the present day. Most of the book is devoted to Einstein's special theory of relativity and how the strange concepts he theorized had parallels in the various art movements beginning in the mid-19th century. The book is an intriguing discussion of art history with some insights I had never thought of before, especially when compared with scientific developments that were taking place or were about to take place.

As I read I kept asking myself how this could apply to my photography.  Several ideas came to mind, one of which was to create photographs that incorporated the principles of the various art movements.  Schlain spends a lot of time talking about Western art beginning in the mid-19th century and art has changed very rapidly during this time.  I thought it would be a great adventure to try to emulate some of these periods such as Impressionism, Fauvism, Cubism, Surrealism, etc. 

Then the first weekend in June I found myself at South Lake in the Eastern Sierra in the early morning. I had it in my mind to capture tapestry photographs, images that were mostly texture, patterns and color. Spring was just barely starting to touch the foliage and the previous afternoon had seen a powerful thunderstorm over the area. I was having a great time capturing tapestry when I saw this one. "Impressionism," I muttered to myself as I raised my camera to my eye. The light, the colors, the patterns all said "Impressionism."

Back in the digital darkroom I experimented with and discovered some techniques that would solidify the impressionistic look - bold strokes of color, fantastic light, patterns and shapes, and the presence of being outdoors in the bosom of Nature.