It's popular to perceive time as being linear, when in fact the effects of elapsed time are often cyclical in nature. Seasons come and go in a predictable manner, each individually distinguishable in the way they shape the landscapes around us. Winter and summer move slowly within our perception of time and we inadequately appreciate these stark alterations. Imagine having the power to jump between these seasons, exploring their effects on a given landscape. Would this change your experience of time? No need to wonder anymore… The Solstice Series is the first of its kind, giving viewers a highly unique opportunity to experience the power of seasons like never before. During winter of last year, I traveled across Colorado and revisited a few of my favorite summer scenes. I photographed them each again, making sure to place myself in the exact same location as before; there is no photoshop wizardry here. Interact with the piece and feel the power of the seasons. The dynamic effects in this piece incorporate realtime fluid simulation, symbolizing the fluid nature of time. Because of this, you can theoretically create an infinite amount of unique 1/1 pieces from this artwork. Of course, it wouldn’t be a true Transient Gallery piece if we didn’t take the viewer’s nearest solstice into account. Take notice of which season the piece defaults to. 

Perennial, the second piece in the Solstice Series, is all about the robustness and perseverance of Colorado’s wildflowers. Delicate by appearance, yet able to weather the mountain's most extreme conditions. The Lupine flower is one of this region's most abundant, and its perennial nature means that year-after-year the blooms return. 

Click + drag or swipe to interact. Shift + S saves a full resolution copy of this piece in any state. Double click/tap the bottom half of the image to change the season. Double click/tap the top half to toggle an animated state. View Fullscreen: https://projects.transientlabs.xyz/ipfs/QmTQgmrc5pcWqUXPPt9VfM4nLN2GS9dEEsWwdpioUzEA8b

Solstice | Perennial

'The Looking Glass' was created in a neo-precisionism style, by hand, over the course of about 5 hours, and draws direct inspiration from a photograph I took overlooking the Black Sand Beach in Iceland.

The Looking Glass

Possibly the most unique landscape on Earth, Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon transports the traveler to another world, one full of mystical creatures and magic elves. For the majority of my time in the land of Fire and Ice, the storms lasted for days, blocking out the sunlight. All it takes however, is a single window of opportunity to capture something epic, something dramatic, and something rare. During the last hour of the day, sunlight broke through the stormy clouds and poured over the canyon walls.

Stormbreaker

For a few weeks out of the year, certain areas in the Colorado Rockies undergo a stunning transformation as an explosion of wildflowers spread across the mountainous terrain. I have spent the last few years capturing these blooming events during the most beautiful times of day, and it is safe to say it has become an obsession. How can something so beautiful and seemingly delicate grow in the most rugged locations? Wildflowers are tougher than they may appear on the surface, and to me symbolize the essence of resiliency; able to weather some of Colorado’s harshest elements, only to return again year after year. 
Nature’s Paintbrush is the first piece of the “Bloom” series, a collection of my finest and most epic wildflower landscapes. The photographs in this collection were all captured within the same week during the healthiest bloom Colorado had seen in a while. This first piece depicts one of my favorite species of native wildflower, the Indian Paintbrush, named as such due to the peddles appearing like the tip of a brush dipped in red paint. This wildflower is harder to come by than some other species, like the more common purple Lupines also seen in this piece, and are especially difficult to find in such a healthy and vibrant condition. 
I remember setting out for another evening of chasing sunsets with the goal of tracking down the more illusive Indian Paintbrush. After a while of exploration with no luck and the last of the day’s sunlight quickly coming to an end, I began to feel the familiar feeling of defeat common with landscape photography. As I often do when hiking an unknown trail, I kept telling myself “let’s just see what’s around this one last corner.” This was a rare case where my stubbornness paid off. As I turned this final corner my heart began to race, as in front of me stood a hillside covered in Lupines and vibrantly red Indian Paintbrush, all overlooking a lake and a mountain cabin. Perfect composition, check. I rushed to set up my tripod and frame the scene, my heart pounding as I knew the sunset was nearing an end. With my camera all set up, I waited in anticipation. I knew in the back of my mind that sometimes the best of light happens immediately after the sun has set behind the mountains. This was about to be one of those times. An orange glow began spreading across the underside of the clouds, growing stronger by the second. Then all of a sudden, rays of sunlight materialized from behind the mountain, beaming across the sky. I probably took about one hundred images as the light continued to evolve over the next sixty seconds. I couldn’t believe what I was capturing. Sometimes Mother Nature is on your side.

Nature's Paintbrush

A collaborative piece for Rich Caldwell's "12 Days of Art Collab". 
I began with an aerial photograph taken by Rich, featuring a yellow Lamborghini sitting in a parking lot. I then incorporated one of my pendulum light paintings with some hand brushed smoke textures to bring this piece to life. 
If only doing donuts left such a beautiful mark; maybe then they wouldn't be illegal.

Pendulum Drift

8-Bit Baseline is a fully playable Pong game built from scratch, blending creative coding with aerial photography by Rich Caldwell. Created as part of 12 Days of Art in collaboration with Rich, the game transforms real-world tennis courts into dynamic playing fields. For this collaboration, I really leaned into my creative coding, designing everything, from ball physics to computer player behavior, from the ground up.

The game features seven different courts, three difficulty levels, and fully in-code sound effect generation using classic 8-bit waveforms. The computer opponent dynamically adjusts its movement based on ball trajectory, while paddle positioning affects shot angles and speed. A volley tracker, match point indicators, and an original licensed soundtrack by Turpak add to the experience.

No pre-existing Pong code was referenced, this was built purely from first principles, making it both an artwork and a technical challenge. A fusion of retro gaming and real-world photography, 8-Bit Baseline is an interactive piece that’s as much about creative process as it is about play.

8-Bit Baseline

'The Lady in Green' shall go down in history as a first in the House of Strauss. 

This piece was created in a neo-precisionism style, by hand, over the course of about 5 hours, and draws direct inspiration from one of my most beloved Northern Lights photographs. May The Lady in Green bring bottomless luck to those who hold it in their wallet.

The Lady in Green

House of Strauss

It only takes a brief moment in time for sunlight to completely transform a landscape into something truly magical. We hadn't seen the sun during our entire trip, but on the last evening, a small window opened up along the horizon. With my camera ready, I patiently waited as the sun set. It wasn't until the final 30 seconds that the light materialized.

Canon 5D Mark IV || Lightroom, Photoshop, Nik Collection || 5628 × 7035

Fire Falls

Foundation

Zenith is the final piece in the “Bloom” series, a collection of my finest and most epic wildflower landscapes. There I sat upon a hillside, watching the rising sun illuminate the sky with a fiery orange. The gentle rapids from a meandering river provided a soothing backdrop of white noise. I found myself lost in thought about a simpler life. One where the only connection to the world is through the physical, and not the digital. One where your only concern is living off the land, and not how much your next payout will be. We often forget to step back from the constant grind, despite knowing deep down the gratification that results from silencing the mind and body. Let this image serve as an escape from your busy day-to-day. Welcome home, your cabin awaits you.

Strauss

Strauss

Featured (0)

All Works (0)