Jacob Bond Hessler
Jacob Bond Hessler
Amongst Giants / Humboldt County, CA, 2018
Photograph on aluminum
40" x 60"
Jacob Bond Hessler
The Dark Tree / Vinalhaven, ME, 2023
Photograph on Aluminum
40" x 60"
Jacob Bond Hessler
Forest is Watching / Cumberland Island, GA, 2023
Photograph on Aluminum
40" x 60"
Jacob Bond Hessler
Door
Photograph on Aluminum
40" x 60"
Jacob Bond Hessler
Homage / Vinalhaven, ME, 2023
Photograph on Aluminum
40" x 60"
Jacob Bond Hessler
Heeling
Photograph on Aluminum
40" x 60"
Jacob Bond Hessler
Burst of Azalea / Cumberland Island, GA, 2020
Photograph on Aluminum
40" x 60"
Jacob Bond Hessler
Dancing Trees / Humboldt County, CA, 2023
Photograph on Aluminum
40" x 60"
Jacob Bond Hessler
Last Ones Standing / Arcata, CA, 2023
Photograph on Aluminum
40" x 60"
Jacob Bond Hessler
Green Exhale / Lincolnville, ME, 2023
Photograph on Aluminum
40" x 60"
Jacob Bond Hessler
The End / North Haven, ME, 2016
Photograph on Aluminum
40" x 60"
Jacob Bond Hessler
The Stage / Vinalhaven, ME, 2022
Photograph on Aluminum
40" x 60"
Jacob Bond Hessler
Cucoloris / Lubec, ME, 2022
Photograph on Aluminum
40" x 60"
Jacob Bond Hessler
Emerald Vortex / Bold Coast, ME, 2019
Photograph on Aluminum
40" x 60"
Jacob Bond Hessler
This Way
Photograph on Aluminum
40" x 60"
Jacob Bond Hessler
Secret Path
Photograph on Aluminum
40" x 60"
Jacob Bond Hessler
Sanctuary
Photograph on Aluminum
40" x 60"
Jacob Bond Hessler
Into the Hush / Camden, ME, 2016
Photograph on aluminum
40" x 60"
Jacob Bond Hessler
Election Year / Humboldt, CA, 2015
Photograph on aluminum
40" x 60"
The modern world has sped our lives up for the sake of convenience but the sacrifices have been great. Our ancestors spent huge portions of their waking lives outside convening with and tending to nature. We have convinced ourselves we are separate from nature in order to excuse our unquenchable thirst for power, money and overconsumption. This severing has had lasting effects on our physical and mental health. Despite our attempts at distancing ourselves from the natural world, we are, and always have been, a part of nature. Being starved from nature is making us sick.
In the pandemic, the forest was my sanctuary. It became the place I escaped to each day to observe and find calm. I would wander aimlessly in the quiet, lush, green for hours before returning to the harsh, confusing realities of the manmade world. I photographed the places that beckoned me - the enveloping cathedral branches became my place of renewal, healing and worship.
In nature everything works just as it should. The sun rises and sets each day. Every creature has access to their basic needs. Reconnecting with the natural order is our path towards rebuilding civilization in its image. May you rest, find solace and clarity in these holy places. May your shoulders drop. May it inspire you to reconnect and get lost in the woods more often. May you ponder a future where humankind and the natural world live in harmony with one another.