Page 17 - the NOISE January 2014

Camino Shells by Joseph Bono is among the photographer’s collection at Vino Loco this month.
The photographs he selected for the show highlight especially meaningful ex- periences or symbolic imagery of the pil- grimage.
“These photos reflect what my eye cued in on throughout my journey,” he says. “They represent my internal lens. I played a lot with light, as in Window of the Saints,
a stained glass image. There’s a focus on the grapes and the wonderful wines of the region, as well as the architecture and people I met along the way and, of course, the scallop shell.”
The scallop shell, abundant on the shores of Galicia, has long been the sym- bol of the Camino and has taken on mythi- cal, metaphorical and practical meanings, even if only from the desire of pilgrims to take one home as a token.
“The bottle of Rioja wine with the grape colored bandana is in Logroño during the San Mateo ‘cutting of the grapes’ festival. After taking a photo of the gentleman wearing it, he gave it to me. It would be like giving someone your family crest as if you were one of them. I was immediately struck by the generosity and it set the pace for the whole trip.”
The experience has had a lasting ef- fect on Mr. Bono, the lessons learned and wisdom gained still revealing themselves back at home in Flagstaff.
“I learned you don’t get to escape any- thing you are trying to avoid in ‘real-life.’ The Camino, in its magical way, puts every- thing you need to walk through right out there along the path. Simply asking for an encounter with like-minded pilgrims will
soon be answered — the law of attraction is very manifest out there. It also provides the time to have much-needed internal dialogue with yourself, having real conver- sations about who you are and where your path lies. There are as many reasons why people are walking the Camino as there are people walking it. Many of them are seekers looking for something they can’t or haven’t been able to find in their ev- eryday lives. A great many pilgrims are in transition ... a big one for me was realizing that by walking away from something, you are walking toward something.
“Overall, now wherever I am, I take the time to look up, to look around and see the beauty in my surroundings. One can have a Camino moment anywhere.”
A selection of photographs from Mr. Bono’s life-changing pilgrimage will be on display at Vino Loco, 22 E. Birch Ave. An opening reception will be held January 3 during First Friday ArtWalk from 6-9 PM.
of CANYoN & deSeRt
Plein air watercolorist Sam Jones is the featured artist for another month at West of the Moon Gallery. His muted, yet de- tailed landscapes exhibit an intimate famil- iarity with the canyons and deserts of the region, clearly the work of someone who has been honing his watercolor skills for over 25 years. Originally from Salt Lake City, Mr. Jones grew up in a household of artists where he was inspired and encouraged to paint at an early age.
Mr. Jones has lived in Flagstaff for 15 years and is best known for his watercol-
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thenoise.us • the NOISE arts & news • january 2014 • 17