Collection: Soft Detour

Soft Detour in San Marino

I photographed these extreme close-ups of the natural landscape in one park on San Marino, California during spring, summer, fall and winter of 2024 as I watched the light and color mutate throughout the seasons. As I walked in circles in a time period of my life that I felt was off-track from where I should be, I ended up creating something surprisingly amorphous, immersive and experimental.

Color as polymorphous, not beholden to a physical form. Color not as a property, but as a phenomenon. This is the premise of Priscilla Mars’ Soft Detour. Mars’ gaze breaks past the barrier of linearity and logic, revealing the transcendent essence that animates all living specimens. There is meaning here that cuts deeper than metaphor—something ancient waiting to be awakened in all of us, flora and fauna alike. - britt menjivar