Fall of 2009 marked my first intentional journey into the region I now call 4042n. I had passed through often before, one of those always en route elsewhere. "There's just nothing here..." I'd think - one eye scanning the horizon for any relief at all - the other always on the weather.


4042n is, at best, off the beaten path to most traveling to/through the vacation-friendly destinations of Colorado, Wyoming and Utah. At bleakest it’s an empty, lonely obstacle to dodge if possible. It's hard land, even dangerous, due largely to its geographic isolation and exposure to the elements. Extreme weather can instantly become part of the equation - then just as instantly disappear. Winter transforms high, lonesome ranch land into arctic-like desolation.


Most families around the country planning summer vacations don't put sticky notes in this part of their atlas. In western Wyoming, along I-80 for example, there's really no place to stay except the back of your pick up. There's no shopping malls, no theme parks, and no Starbucks. But that's part of the attraction. In the presidential election of 2008 the term "fly over states" was used to describe everything between the supposed, self-important cities on either coast. 4042n would be that point in the flight where airline passengers would pull their window blinds and settle in for a nap. In so doing, much of the treasure would be missed. While there are indeed features popular agreement would deem “beautiful,” life exists beyond popular agreement, and thank goodness for that.


4042n is an exhibit about this patch of earth; my back yard. Not, strictly speaking, a “landscape” project. Nor is it a “documentary” project. It is instead a photographic exhibit that over time, remains focused on the region as a whole, attempting to make peace with and understand the land, culture, and the few who call this place home.


In the conventional sense, 4042n proves that you don't always have to travel to the ends of the earth for adventure. Often times it's right there, waiting in your own back yard.


Welcome to 4042n.