Under the Summer Solstice and Strawberry Moon

Ralph Maratta

Under the Summer Solstice and Strawberry Moon

I’m a silent journal, but it’s here to read,
in these cracks, crevices, and rising plates,
the story of you and me.
The moment order and chaos gave way to irony
Come close and we’ll both recall.
Then you’ll go
and remind your people you’re not alone.

“Under the Summer Solstice and Strawberry Moon” is a project mostly completed during the 2024 summer solstice and an example of how mistakes, failures and letting go can be harnessed in the creative process. The work is taken from a most modest rock wall in a river canyon where I initially set out to photograph moonlit landscapes the evening prior. Miscalculating the trajectory of the Strawberry moon, it was a night of frustration, disappointment and failure, but I knew enough from past experiences to let go and “see what tomorrow brings.” I woke 5 hours later with no purpose, other than to enjoy the Canyon. During my 60-minute drive through some of the local landscapes, I passed a simple rock wall, one I had passed through dozens and dozens of times before. Only this time, in the deep morning shade, the unassuming basalt rocks caught my attention and revealed shapes and details I’d not ever seen or imagined

About the artist:

Ralph Maratta, who works under the name 2Worlds, works in film (large, medium, and small formats) and digital capture. Reared in the darkroom, he is skilled in printmaking.

Photography, for Maratta, is a personal responsibility, a labor of love of sorts.

“Everybody has a core purpose or passion to unearth, and photography happens to be mine. There is a Japanese word, “ikigai,” that refers to a passion that gives value and joy to life, and when we pursue and participate in our core passions, it becomes a form of meditation,” says Maratta. “It can be anything: art, golf, basketball, stamp collecting, knitting, business, woodworking, writing, crafting, etc. The trick is finding one’s ikigai and keeping at it despite whatever stuff the world throws at you. It’s a sort of battle sometimes, but the opportunity to work things out is what makes life so precious.

Maratta has been featured in several one-person shows and published in a variety of online publications.

More of his work can be seen here: www.2worldsphoto.com.