IMU (Earth Oven), Hawaii

This collage was shot in 1998 with film. I was at a remote artist retreat on the southeast coast of the Big Island of Hawaii. On my second night, I awoke to an earthquake. I was alone in a free-standing cottage, with no cell phone or internet. I was soon to learn that Kilauea had erupted. This retreat, a nonprofit enclave in Puna is about 30 miles away from the volcano as the crow flies. This area is not insurable because of Kilauea. The lava from the volcano flows into the ocean along this coast. Early on my trip, I shot the image above as I toured the area and saw fields of cold lava that cover vast areas from previous eruptions. Later I would hire a guide who took me to view the active lava flow at night. We drove directly over the dark cold lava to where we were nearby and could view the lava falling into the ocean. The red molten lava breaks up to form black sand beaches. The shots under my steering wheel are from the lava I viewed directly. The clouds in this image are steam clouds and not weather clouds.