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PYCNOPODIA HELIANTHOIDES, LONG BEACH, VANCOUVER ISAND.2000. BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOGRAPH. "The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new SANDSTONE YONI, HORNBY ISLAND, 2000. BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOGRAPH. SANDSTONE, GALEANO ISLAND, 2000. BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOGRAPH. landscapes but in having new eyes." --Marcel Proust v i s u a l a r t s | by P e g g y The Nature of Nature Stortz Have y o u ever noticed h o w m u c h t h e bare branches of a tree in w i n t e r resemble a great river a n d its tributaries o n a m a p or t h e c o m p l e x netw o r k of veins, arteries, a n d capillaries in o u r o w n bodies? Or h o w t h e ripples left o n t h e s a n d look like t h e natural w a v e s in s o m e o n e ' s hair? Or maybe it's t h e gentle hues a n d shapes of oil o n w a t e r that bring t o m i n d g o s s a m e r colours o n a butterfly's w i n g . This is nature, repeating herself over a n d over a g a i n , a n d , a l t h o u g h she possesses a n infinity of shapes, colours, a n d textures, she also displays definite patterns, w h i c h w e recognize a r o u n d u s -- p a t t e r n s like t h e ripple, t h e spiral, a n d t h e circle. Colombian-born Diego Samper has d e v o t e d m o s t of his life t o the study of nature. His m u l t i m e d i a artwork captures not only w h a t he sees w i t h his eye but also, in s o m e cases, w h a t he perceives w i t h his spirit. M a n y of his p e n a n d ink d r a w i n g s represent the energy of nature: patterns both orderly a n d chaotic. His watercolours a n d oil paintings describe her m o o d s a n d subtleties. His p h o t o g r a p h s depict expansive vistas as w e l l as the tiniest details of w h a t is a r o u n d us. W h a t , you may wonder, impels this artist to explore nature at such a deep a n d intimate level? A s a child, Samper loved to look at 18tha n d 19th- century travelogues of the A m a z o n . Raised in B o g o t a , his first personal experience w i t h the wildness of nature came w h e n he visited his grandfather's farm in the Orinoco basin. His fascination led him t o live alone for t w o years in the A m a z o n forest during his early 20s. Samper h u n t e d , fished, a n d foraged t o feed himself. His closest neighbours, primitive residents of the jungle, were three hours a w a y by canoe. He often lived for m o n t h s w i t h o u t seeing another h u m a n being. During this time, Samper experienced a deep connection w i t h the tropical forest. He felt like o n e of its m a n y creatures, at peace w i t h the trees, t h e river, a n d t h e other a n i m a l s o f t h e vicinity. His contact w i t h the aboriginal tribes led h i m t o explore t h e mystical connection he felt w i t h t h e forest. "It is from this c o n n e c t i o n that a l l my w o r k springs," Samper states. Samper b e g a n t o draw, t o paint, a n d t o take p i c t u r e s -- h i s camera being o n e of t h e f e w m o d e r n tools he a l l o w e d himself during his sojourn. He later returned w i t h his w i f e M a r l e n e a n d there, in the wilds, they b e g a n their family. After seven years, t h e dangers brought o n by t h e d r u g trade a n d rebel factions forced t h e m to return to B o g o t a . A l t h o u g h h e missed his life s o close t o t h e w i l d n e s s o f nature, Samper realized the next step in t h e e v o l u t i o n of his artistic career. His c o m m i t m e n t w a s t o bring t h e " a r t " of nature t o t h e public. In Bogota, he and his w i f e started a publishing house and in time produced several coffee-table b o o k s of his photography, images rich in the shapes, the textures, a n d the themes f o u n d in the natural w o r l d . These collections also included many pictures of different tribal cultures. March | April