S o u t h w e s t   P h o t o g r a p h y

The 229-year-old mission church, St. Francis of Assisi (Spanish name: "San Francisco de Asis"), erected in 1776, is an historically rich structure. The tamped-earth buttressing is comprised of clay and straw and was pictured in the famous Georgia O'Keeffe painting "Ranchos Church".

My intent in composing this, and its related images, was to highlight the surreal luminance which seems to pervade its historical and spiritual significance, and is created visually by the sun-baked earthen materials used in its composition.