What Do You See?

It was a beautiful morning when I photographed this woman elegantly carrying flowers to market, her poised ability to balance her basket brimming with flowers while clutching an abundance of calla lilies beneath her arm.

Everything about her is powerful: her stride, the color of the flowers, the warmth she projects. There is pride without the burden of ego in this simple image of a painted building with a woman walking.

It also brought to my mind Diego Rivera and his paintings depicting enormous bundles of calla lilies. Often and most strikingly, the Indigenous people of Mexico embrace the blossoms. The perspectives—often presenting the person’s back to the viewer—place special emphasis on the voluptuous blossoms, symbols of both wealth or the lack thereof, and mortality.

Everywhere I looked in Oaxaca, the dichotomy of abundance and deprivation abounded. Trees burst with orange, yellow and red blossoms; even cacti boasted bold-hued blooms. Meanwhile, the land was dry, arid, scourged of water; the earth packed and the air on windy days dusty. I chose to marvel in all of these things; to value each for its authentic nature.