Brad Wilson, Spider Monkey no. 1, 20 in.H x 29 in.W. © Brad Wilson & photo-eye Gallery

From the start, there was something immensely challenging and inspiring about working with animals. Up to that point, I had spent my career photographing subjects I largely controlled: professional models, actors, or other noteworthy people. In general, I told them exactly what to do and they did it. Now suddenly I was facing subjects, who, for the most part, did what they wanted with no regard for me or my artistic agenda. Specific verbal directions were replaced by patient waiting and observation - a kind of meditation in the middle of organized chaos. That in itself was exhilarating, but there was something more. What I discovered was a world that we, as humans, have largely abandoned - a place of instinct, intuition, and present moment awareness - a fully natural world, distinct from the increasingly urbanized and digitized landscape that surrounds us. In the midst of our modern human civilization with all its technological complexities, animals still remain stark symbols of a simpler life and a wilderness lost. Perhaps these images can stand as a testament to this other fading world, and remind us, despite the pronounced feeling of isolation that too often characterizes our contemporary existence, that we are not alone, we are not separate - we are part of a beautifully rich and interconnected diversity of life. – Brad Wilson

photo-eye Gallery, 541 South Guadalupe Street, Sante Fe, NM, 87501,  US -  (505) 988-5152 ext. 202