I have read that the dance of the dragon and phoenix…

is an auspicious symbol in Chinese culture. For me this dance of complimentarities is the essential dance of creation. Some time ago I placed a small ivory carving, a pin held by a rectangular silver casing, on a scanner bed in the midst of exploring images for Mandala I. As I opened the digital image I saw, for the first time, the magnified detail of this exquisite, well crafted art piece, an heirloom kept in my jewelry box for over 30 years. Up to this moment I had valued the pin for the power of the dragon, all the while unaware of the bird's presence – the mythological and transformative phoenix that rises from the ashes. Holding this dynamic pair transformed and deepened the meaning of this treasure that had been carried by three generations of women in my family. As I played with the image I was overwhelmed by an immediate and intimate connection to the artist, who with great skill, patience and artistry could never have imagined the technology that would fully reveal (bring to light) his work 100 years later. Somewhere in this revelation I came to know in my bones that it is never too late to become the artist that I am, and that in order for my artistry to blossom it must be seen.

After closing the doors on Just Desserts, a bakery business that my husband, Elliot, and I founded in our youngest years and operated for several decades in the San Francisco Bay Area, there was an opening to explore and rediscover my creativity in a new way. As the demands and noise of the business world settled, a deeper conversation began to emerge—a photographic engagement with nature—enticing my curiosity through the flirtation of light, color, texture, relationship...elements that signal the rich potential of some unseen thing that might be discovered through play. Through this gateway of curiosity and imagination, the creative work in this website began to emerge with a new sweetness.

—Gail Horvath, San Francisco