Landscapes in and around human communities are sprinkled with indelible marks of a synthetic environment. They are constructions the earth never intended, asked for or wanted except through the technological visions and desires of the planet’s human inhabitants. Images in this project from small cities and rural towns in Maine, from Portland to Bath and inland to Lewiston/Auburn, capture spaces that are not usually highlighted as iconic Maine landscapes. However, they are full of unending fascination for me in their colors, shapes, and persistent presence. They possess an ethereal surreal quality that dwells behind the scenes or just outside our usual focus. Such places often garner little attention. Even when in our direct line of sight, they remain largely unseen. Physical structures that support modern life in our communities inhabit these spaces. They are the facilities that provide water, support food procurement and processing, generate electricity, heat homes and businesses, facilitate transportation, and channel communications. As markers of our planetary presence, they most certainly will remain long after we have abandoned them. Sometimes there are hints that the earth continues an ongoing reclamation into a future that will extend far beyond the Anthropocene Era.

(Click on the thumbnails for full images and the information icon in the lower right hand corner for additional details about each one.)