I spend a lot of time immersed in nature. Whether walking or slowly driving my camper, my camera is always at my side. As I absorb the ambiance and character of a landscape, an animal, or a small detail, I experience conflicting impulses. One side of me wants to be absorbed in the beauty and the spirituality of the moment. The other side of me wants to know the why and the how. Because I have the camera with me, the questions of why and how are momentarily subdued as I draw my attention to the scene in my camera's viewfinder. The beauty and spirituality of the moment takes precedence.

According to Betty Edwards, this "conflict" is a very common phenomenon. In her famous book "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain", she explains that the brain has a dominant left side which focuses on language and logical skills. And, the brain has a subdominant right hemisphere which focuses on visual and perceptual tasks that awaken our eyes to the language of forms and permits us to express ourselves in that language.

So, as I approach a spider web glistening in the morning sun, my first response is one of awe at its beauty. Then I exclaim: "Gosh, I'm amazed that the spider could build such a thing. How was it done ?". But, the minute I raise my camera to compose and capture the image, my artistic nature is given the nod to go to work. Perhaps I flip back to my left brain momentarily to set the depth of field, the focus, or the exposure. But, then I'm back to my brain's right side asI search out the beauty of the light reflected from the web and commit the image to the camera's memory.

The process of encountering, recording, and wondering about any natural pattern involves me moving from one side of my brain to the other several times. So, is pattern cognition art? Is it science? Or is it both?

Clearly to me, it is both. And, the two are inseparable.

There is that spiritual experience that takes place as we absorb the beauty of the moment. The wonder and awe of the color, the form, and the pattern. And there is the feeling of context as we try to appreciate the relationship of our object with its surroundings. The awe of knowing that everything somehow fits together.

This section concentrates solely on the aesthetics of nature from various points of view. The following subjects are presented:

• Art and Science: An essay on how the worldviews of science and aesthetics differ and complement each other.
• Engaging Nature: Knowing nature.
• Aesthetic Expression: Portraying nature through artistic expression.

This document is a draft of work in progress. Please post your comments, thoughts, and suggestions:

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