Peck, Mary

For decades Mary Peck has traveled to various parts of the world to photograph natural and at times enigmatic landscapes, observing the signs of geological processes, the cycles of weather, and the traces of human activity. In the series Temples of Greece, Peck's black-and-white photographs on a Mediterranean island depict dramatic and seemingly uninhabited places that are punctuated by the timeworn forms of ancient ruins, such as the remnants of a stone wall or a few standing pillars on the edge of a cliff. Peck completed the series in 1979, four years after she graduated from Utah State University, placing it among her early work. But these photographs share with her later photographs an expansive sense of space and a rich tonal range that convey the grandeur and beauty of these settings. In more recent years, Peck has photographed in locations such as Bhutan, Chaco Canyon in New Mexico, and Washington State's Olympic Peninsula.