I grew up in inner London, surrounded by concrete and traffic and pollution. At the same time, my mother is from a small town in Finland, and so, during the summer and winter I was surrounded by nature – beautiful lakes, endless forests filled with (free!) berries, the wonderful clean sky. These two extremes became so kind of normal that I ignored them, neither impressed by a metropolis nor the beauty nature offered.

After living in several big cities (London, Beijing, Tokyo) I realised: I want nature. And I want it to be in my life, accessible, on my doorstep. Now I’m living in Lhasa, and in 10 minutes I’m at the foot of a majestic mountain, waiting to be climbed (every weekend nowadays…) And I wouldn’t want it any other way.

It’s always interesting to see how one’s views change as one gets older. When I was younger I was adamant I always wanted to stay in a big city, but it’s so different now…

Love all of your work!
Matt

Before I start rambling – here is my link for your entry on trees – http://www.flickr.com/photos/michael_harold/6479442165/

Now – on to rambling! hehe I would have to say my inspiration is the night time. I know that sounds so broad but it’s true. As a teen I would often sneak out of the house at night and go running on the streets in the dark. It felt so peaceful and quiet – usually a light mist.

These days my favorite moments are at night at home working on a picture. We have a large sectional and I’ll have Harold and all 4 cats sleeping on it as I’m creating. It’s quiet, peaceful, homey.

I know this is long but I’d like to share a poem I wrote about running at night. Since you’re a running I hope you like it : )

Lover of the night

At first the body is stiff
The knees ache
The muscles complain
The feet jar against the pavement
The breath comes in shallow gasps
The body fights against itself
Every part moving at it’s own pace
Tearing against each other
Not a run of beauty
But a stumbling scarecrow

Suddenly the breathing deepens
Establishing a rhythm where none was before
The heart joins in
Pounding out a beat for all to hear
The knees become like pistons
The muscles like rubber
The feet like Teflon
Gliding across the pavement
At last a body in harmony
At last a run of beauty

The beauty is not unnoticed
The night stops her stately procession
Who is this creature of beauty
Who is this runner of the night
She must find out
She must know

She hides herself in shadows
She hides herself in mystery
And slips a little closer
To the runner of beauty in the night
She drinks him in
The silence broken only by the breathing
And the pounding of his heart

At last she reveals herself
What was once familiar
Is now unknown
What was once a road
Is now a river
What was once a land
Is now a dream

She stands in darkness before him
He smiles at her
She smiles back
and reaches out to make love to his senses
The wind caresses his body
Lingering on every muscle
Flowing with every ripple
Hiding in every crevice
Drinking his sweat
Making it her own

She fills his lungs with freshness
She fills his eyes with a vision
She fills his ears with silence
She fills his nose with her scent
And her taste is on his tongue.

His heart fills to overflowing
His mind reels at her majesty
He becomes more than a runner
He becomes a dancer
Dancing with his mate

He throws his head back
His breathing deepens
His heart beats stronger
His feet fly faster – faster – faster

They touch the ground one last time
And then he is airborne
Arms flung wide
A scream torn from his throat
And the stars bear witness
As the beauty becomes more than a dancer
He is a lover of the night