Mike Osborne

As a young man, being an introspective sort of fellow, my inclination and education was directed toward a career as a psychologist.  But along the way, as frequently happens, I got sidetracked into hiking, backpacking, nature and photography.  Before I knew what was happening, I found myself working as a ranger in Yosemite National Park, and I never looked back.  My new career led to a deep appreciation for the landscape I saw in the glorious scenery of Yosemite.  I also photographed as often as possible in Death Valley, Zion, Valley of Fire, and other western state parks natural areas and coastal gems.  As life unfolded, my photographic interests progressed from grand landscapes to more intimate natural scenes and eventually to the intricacies in nature’s designs.  And these designs led me ever deeper into the abstractions that lie at the heart of the universe.  

Since retiring and moving to the PNW, along with the wealth of so many spectacular national and state parks, public gardens and other natural areas, I have discovered the joy of photographing the abstract imagery to be found in architectural, street art, and automotive subjects.  Surprisingly, my current favorite images were discovered among derelict, rusting & disintegrating old cars and trucks and cargo ships.  These subjects reveal not only the minds and intentions of the designers and manufacturers, they also hint at the dreams and values of the previous owners.  But ultimately, they disclose the workings of Mother Nature Herself—slowly, very slowly, reclaiming the materials in these vehicles as Her own.  Physics and chemistry employing rain, ice & snow, heat & cold, gravity, sun & shade, ultraviolet light & oxidation, algae, moss, lichens, and most of all, time itself, are reclaiming these vehicles an atom, a molecule, a chip, a layer, a piece at a time. 

Photo taken by Kathy Radie

All of these images in this show are the result of random acts of nature given enough time to work on the designed and manufactured surfaces created by human ingenuity thus resulting in curious works of accidental beauty. 

The one constant that has guided me through all the forks on my photographic road is the appreciation and pursuit of beauty.  I hope you enjoy this peek into my subconscious wanderings and the revelation that if beauty can exist on old decaying vehicles, it can be found almost anywhere.