Paul R. Quinlivan

“A photograph can make us feel that the never ending process of creation, the constant coming and goings of our individual lives, has for a moment stilled. The camera clicks. Time stops. Silence and rest are its gifts.”

I remember seeing the Badlands as a child for the first time. The short drive through the park to nearby Wall South Dakota signaled the real beginning of the family road trip after the seemingly endless drive across South Dakota from our family home in Minneapolis. I’ve since visited the park many times by car, on foot, and even managed as a young man the difficult end-to-end ride by bicycle. Retirement offered the opportunity for more frequent trips of longer duration. Wandering with my camera along the many paths lined with rock formations and their infinite varieties of lines, shapes, colors, textures and tones inspired something that felt like joy and even hope. It is my hope that these photographs illustrate in a small way how human creations and the creations of nature can not only co-exist but also complement and enhance one another's beauty and dignity.