Colorado-based photographer Paul Sisson captures the stillness of the American West in his landscape photography series that we first learned about on website Fubiz. The artist discusses his motivation for the series titled Not So Far From Here, which explores the strange wonders of a place just beyond the concrete jungle:
We place so much emphasis on our destination, and everyone, myself included, is seemingly always on such a tight schedule that enjoying the proverbial journey has become a thing of the past. With this project I have set out to embrace that journey, destination be damned. While so much of the world feels crowded and overpopulated, you don’t actually have to travel that far to find vast open spaces, untouched landscapes, and towns so small they don’t even have a Starbucks. Old gas stations and broken down cars stand like Roman ruins scattered across the land; completely useless and forgotten, these treasures are waiting to be found all at the same time. Religious promotions and political endorsements stand as a cultural statement unto themselves, unwavering and preaching to the choir. Empty buildings and rotting signs linger as reminders of more active economic times. Small businesses cater to niche communities hoping to avoid that same fate. This project has been fueled by my desire to find things that I’ve never seen before – things that make me think about generations past, things that would be missed by flying by a little town on the highway, or things that simply make me laugh.
Take a closer look in our gallery below.