Rich Brooks

Artist Statement

I view myself as a landscape and wildlife photographer. I love being outdoors capturing wonderful images of extreme weather conditions or hiking to remote places to capture animals in their natural environment. But this past Spring (mid April to mid May 2024) I was staying in a tiny hilltop town in Provence, France, called Beaumont de Pertuis (population 1,200).

Not much if any wildlife in the area. The wild red poppies were just beginning to bloom, but no heavy concentrations yet. The famous French lavender doesn’t bloom until late June. The local church was built about 1125, so the town had plenty of interesting structures and charm. Cute little hilltop villages make nice travel photos. But I’m a landscape and wildlife photographer. What should I do with my camera?

As I walked around the tiny village, I noticed that Mother Nature created beautiful contemporary or modern art by wearing down the paint and wood of the town’s doors and shutters. But cute and interesting old country doors have been photographed many times before. As I looked closer at the wear and tear on the doors, I saw sections that just popped out like a painted canvas. That’s when I got my inspiration. To photograph just snippets or vignettes of the stunning weathered doors and shutters. The colors and textures, especially up close, produced vivid images of interesting shapes, textures and colors to revival any contemporary art.

I finished with a several hundred images. For the finishing touch I created a poster of 36 unique images. Each image just a snippet of a door or shutter to show off Mother Nature’s creative streak of color, texture and patterns.

This goes to prove the point that there is beauty everywhere, we just need open our eyes and mind to see it.

I hope you enjoy my images - “Paint of Beaumont de Pertuis.”