Roman Loranc

There is a point in the creative process where a personal journey meets the road traveled by everyman--the crossroad where art becomes universal. Roman Loranc, Polish born, has traveled far to find his landscape--the Central Valley of California. In the tradition of Ansel Adams and Edward Weston, he creates images that are richly toned, lush and exquisite. Rivers seem to run to the sky. Reeds break through water as still as glass. The photographs duet with poetry and musings, by Lillian Vallee, Loranc's wife, to make a book that is pure contemplation.The photographer must himself have sat for hours along the riverbanks and fields, unmoving. There is a love of place here that transcends mere technical beauty, making the images luminous with feeling as well as light. This way, each image becomes a meditation on the wonders of nature.