HIDDEN WATERS
Disappearing DryLand Springs
Across the American West, desert springs—often remote and easily overlooked—sustain life while revealing layered environmental and cultural histories. Today, many are disappearing due to prolonged drought and aquifer overuse, and once lost, they may never return.
My connection to these waters began in a bone-dry Arizona town, where scarcity shaped daily life. Before this project took form, I spoke with intertribal Water Keepers who described springs on their lands drying up over time ias having environmental and cultural impact over generations—something that stayed with me as the work gradually developed.
Working with a muted palette inspired by the desert paintings of Maynard Dixon, I approach each spring as a small but significant presence within a larger landscape. These photographs trace subtle shifts in places shaped by human activity and climate change, preserving the memory of fragile ecosystems while drawing attention to what remains at risk.