SEPTEMBER 1-26 IN GALLERY II

MARIA BORKOWSKI

BEAUTY IN THE BADLANDS

in GALLERY II

As a transplant from the “Purple Mountains Majesty” state of Colorado to the “Amber Waves of Grain” state of North Dakota in 2011, it took me a long time to find a place out here where the Earth spoke to me as it does in the mountains. I had practically become a hermit, never seeking the outdoors, because I simply couldn't find a place the Earth spoke back to me. 

Finally, I felt that click of connection back to the land, in the wilds of the Badlands, specifically Theodore Roosevelt National Park. 

The Badlands are not the mountains, nor a place where I could feel the earth breathing around me. It is not my place, but it has become a place I love, respect and see the beauty in. It is a land that demands attention. It seeks as much as it gives, making you question nearly everything. Do I linger a moment longer and watch the herd as it moves through the ancient landscape, or do I carry on up the road or trail? If I sit and linger, what might I miss? If I go, what might I miss? That buzz, was it a rattlesnake, or a harmless insect calling across the distance?

A rumble echoes through the valleys. Something is on the move. Is it bison, or a herd of wild horses stretching their legs? Now it's a footrace to the top of the nearest butte, hopefully to catch a glimpse before the land swallows those hoofbeats once again.  

The Badlands are a place out of time. A place to discover glimmers of the past in the flicker in the sun, the coolness of the shade. The wind whispers stories from before when only the wild ones roamed here. The Badlands themselves beckon to her own colorful history, calling back through the eras, calling to the time before man. 

This collection is curated to express the peace I find as a new day comes to light around me. It is an invitation to seek the stillness of the wild. How mindful I am while shivering in the frosty sunshine of winter, just waiting for the cloud of steam as another living being breathes. 

You will find me in the peaceful moments, listening to the herd quietly graze as the evening shadows fall. You will find me studying a wild flower, or witness me dash to a vantage point and arrive out of breath. For you see, I found my place in North Dakota - it was in the breaks of those rugged Badlands wandering along the Lil Mo’.

The Earth breathes here; it's simply a different rhythm than that of the mountains and streams. The wind sighs through the grasses instead of the trees, and the water runs still, but deep and purposeful. I found my place in North Dakota. Join me in the Beauty of the Badlands!