The Narrative Image

The clear-cut hills try to hide their nakedness under wispy cloud covers. By the grace of the Mt. Angel Abbey, I descend toward the promise of earthly treasure. - Unique mud slide feature - Thunder and mist emanate from around the corner…   First sight.   Pictures don’t express.  ...like leaving paradise…

(Note: clicking on images should display a larger version) Graffiti. Sometimes it’s just a signature – a tag. Sometimes it’s a message. And sometimes, it’s art. Graffiti on a train Sad thing is…I can’t tell the difference…at least not always.   Why do we post symbols in public places? What does a bird mean? Without proper cultural context… ...can we ever know the original intent of the symbol maker? I stumbled upon my first pictograph on a kayak/camping trip in 2008. It’s amazing that these painted images persist. Is it a message? An advertisement? An icon? ...a warning? Since then I’ve read some Oregon Archeological Society publications (primarily by Keyser) and learned of vision quests, shamans, ghost cults and power drawings. Plus, on the historical context side of the story, I’ve learned that these kinds of painted rock images are the product of a once dominant society that was being decimate...