Around the turn of the 20th century, land clearing and livestock grazing exposed the red-brown shale beneath the surface. Over time, rain and wind sculpted the terrain into soft, rounded hills and winding gullies. The shale’s reddish-brown colour comes from iron oxide, while the greenish, white, and blue tones result from groundwater moving through the soil.

When I arrived, I remember thinking, “Wow.” The landscape was striking—a sharp contrast to the surrounding forest. The first thing I noticed was the intense red-brown colour, followed by the rounded hills, and then the contrast between the lighter greenish-white-blue tones and the darker areas. After taking in the broader scene, I began to focus on the details: the cracked clay textures, the varied shapes of the gullies, the smooth contours of the hills, and the quality of the light. That’s when I went back to the car to get my camera.

© 2014 Gaetano Antonini