Showtime

Bryce Canyon, 2020

Limited edition fine art print of 6 – During the height of the pandemic, I spent many hours outside exploring the relatively empty national parks of America’s southwest. Bryce Canyon was one of my favorite of all the national parks. I would drive an hour and a half in the darkness to reach the entrance with a big thermos of coffee and my own thoughts in my head. Each morning, I would find a new location to take in the sunrise. These textured, vibrant cliffs became my therapist, my church, and my sanctuary. Anyone who has watched the sunrise during late fall in Bryce Canyon knows just how cold the mornings are before the sun hits the landscape. The arid climate doesn’t hold the heat during the night, so I would sit…quietly…counting the minutes before the first rays of the sun hit my skin. With my composition set, I would watch the fireworks happen as light bounced around the hoodoos. First, the red earth began to glow like the deepest embers of a campfire. Then, as the sun rose off the horizon, the oranges would glow brighter as if some force was adding oxygen to the fire. By now, the feeling would begin returning to my fingers as I often worked without gloves, making minor adjustments to the camera to satisfy my vision. There is no other park quite like Bryce Canyon. The colors and textures alone are of a variety artists only dream of. Photo © copyright by Derek Nielsen.