story behind the photo

photographed Rio Grande Gold from the air near Lajitas while flying over the borderlands of West Texas. The river winding through the frame is the Rio Grande River, with Mexico on the left and the United States on the right. From this perspective, the border feels less like a line and more like a living, breathing form shaped by time, terrain, and light. Years ago, I chartered a small plane and spent days photographing Big Bend National Park and Big Bend Ranch State Park from above. That flight produced an entire body of work that could stand on its own, but this image has always stayed with me. I had never seen the Rio Grande photographed quite like this, the S-curve of the river carving through the land while the sun poured in from the right, turning water and earth into pure gold. What draws me to this image is the way light transforms everything it touches. The river becomes a ribbon of fire, the land falls away into shadow, and the scene feels less about borders and more about illumination. It is a reminder that God’s light does not stop at boundaries drawn by man, it moves freely, revealing beauty, order, and purpose across the whole of creation.
“The light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.” – John 1:5

PRINT PROCESS & AVAILABILITY

Rio Grande Gold is offered as a dye infused metal architectural panel, created by infusing archival dyes directly into a specially coated aluminum surface, producing exceptional depth, luminosity, and clarity that allow the light and color within the image to remain vivid and dimensional. The metallic surface enhances the golden tones of the river and amplifies the sense of light moving across the landscape, while the image becomes part of the aluminum itself rather than sitting on the surface, resulting in a smooth, frameless work with a strong architectural presence that is especially well suited for large scale pieces where color, contrast, and visual impact are essential. This work is available as a limited edition of 12, produced as a 40 x 60 inch architectural panel, with each panel signed, titled, and numbered by the artist, and once the edition is complete, no additional dye infused metal architectural panels of Rio Grande Gold will be produced.