Blizzard, Squire Valleevue Farm

I love blizzards. Memories of the great Cleveland blizzards of the 1950s, at least from the perspective of an eight-year-old child, are still cherished. This image of Squire Valleevue’s farmhouse reminds me of my approach home during snow storms as I returned from short errands for my mother to Hackbart’s general store. Groceries teetering on my sled, I was unaware of the cold and gusting wind, the silent snow obscuring time.

I took this achromatic, impressionistic image late one January afternoon, shortly after a blizzard commenced. It put me in mind of Alfred Stieglitz’s “The Blizzard, New York.” It also brought to mind the welcome solitude I coveted as a young boy and later came to identify with in a quote by Thomas Mann: “Solitude produces originality, bold and astonishing beauty, poetry” (from “Death in Venice”).

Year: 2016
Location: Squire Valleevue Farm
Limited Edition of 20
Dimensions: 11" x 16.5"