William Sutherland's photos

Created from a photograph of an icon of Our Lady of Kazan , circa 1970 in Sofrino, Russia. The original icon was created in Constantinople in the 13th century and brought to Russia shortly thereafter. When the Tatars captured Kazan in 1438 the icon disappeared. It was rediscovered under the ruins of a burnt down house in 1579 by a young girl Matrona who had received messages from the Virgin Mary. This icon has a lot in common with Fátima, Portugal. Consequently, with the expansion of wars and hardening of the already rigid and unyielding positions by world leaders that reject compromise and who have discarded the concept of mutually assured destruction (coined during the Franco-Prussian War in 1870), the 13 July 1917 Fatima message to Lucia – “ When you see a night illuminated by an unknown light, know that it is the great sign God gives you that He is going to punish the world… ” – remains relevant and fitting today. On 25 January 1938 an intense geomagnetic storm lit up the night sky all across Europe and could be seen as far south as Bermuda. A month later Hitler invaded Austria. Eight months later he invaded Poland and World War II was officially underway. On 11 May 2024 an intense geomagnetic storm (perhaps the most intense since record-keeping began in1932) lit up the skies across much of the world. Auroral displays could be seen all across the United States into Mexico, in the Bahamas, western Africa and as far south as Australia, New Zealand, Chile and Argentina. Could this be history repeating itself with the greater intensity warning of an even greater conflagration that leads to nuclear war? Let’s hope world leaders rediscover reason and pursue peace if we are to remain a planet of the living. In the meantime, as the Blessed Mother has repeatedly implored through the ages – La Salette, France (1846), Lourdes, France (1858), Fátima, Portugal (1917), Medjugorje, Bosnia and Herzegovina (1981), to name four such instances – we should pray for peace . And as we pray for peace Our Lady of Kazan can serve as a protector. Although we may not live to see that day when peoples and nations are reconciled to each other and live in peace, one day it will happen if humanity doesn’t first extinguish itself into extinction through nuclear war and consequent Armageddon.

Newark, NJ With this being Mother's Day weekend and Newark, NJ having some of the highest crime rates especially with violent crimes, I thought the themes were fitting. May love prevail so there's no more senseless deaths and needless mourning especially among mothers who lose their children way too soon.

New Rochelle, NY The earth is the Lord’s… [Psalm 24:1] and it is full of [His] creations ! [Psalm 104:24] Consequently nature including the below tulip is the Lord’s canvas and the resulting abstract is in reality the work of [H] is hands [Psalm 19:1] __________________________________________

Rye, NY

Hypothetical depiction of the Solar Eclipse totality that will occur over New York City on 1 May 2079 for those of us who will be well over 100 or not around for this momentous event. Created from an photograph of Freedom Tower , New York, NY (taken on 10 December 2023) and totality (solar eclipse), Moose River/Jackman, ME (taken on 8 April 2024).

Totality was created from a photograph I took of totality during the 8 April 2024 solar eclipse viewed in Moose River/Jackman, ME using digital effects from Paint Shop Pro ® and Smart Photo Editor ®. The moon and the sun’s corona during totality are depicted in as close to their actual colors as possible. The black color of the moon represents awe and mystery since no words or images can fully describe the experience of totality; no matter how precise scientific explanations are, a sense of intrigue remains during totality. The white color of the corona represents peace and hope as the solar eclipse allowed everyone present to forget the divisiveness and violence that plague the world. The landscape is flooded in an abundance of red representing love and joy, both attributes that are badly needed today. At the same time, the sky is filled with an abundance of tan/gray to represent unity to commemorate the large number of people who came together for a common purpose, demonstrating there is still hope for healing in this torn world. The scattered splotches of greens, blues and purples and bleaching of the trees were added to depict the Bailey’s Beads effect in which surreal shadows are cast as the moon makes its final move to eclipse the sun in totality in which the only sunlight reaching the area passes through the moon’s topographical features. The wavy section of reds in the upper right hand corner represent the very distant horizon to the north that had retained a dark orange-red color during totality because of the solar maximum during this eclipse. Last, the extruding blocks were added to represent the multi-dimensional sensory experience totality elicits when physically present.

Moose River/Jackman, Maine Photo-related article

Las Vegas, NV

Bronx, NY I will forgive their Iniquity – and their sin Remember no more. Peace be upon all From that momentous day he Was raised back to life. Having risen from The dead, he has made us born a new creation. The thorns and the cross Expressions of God’s love Bring life eternal. Note: Haiku verses 1-3 are based on Yirmiyahu/Jeremiah 31:33 [Torah], haiku verses 4-6 are inspired by Maryam 19:33 [Qu’ran] and haiku verses 3-9 are based on 1 Peter 1:3.

Malibu , CA Note: As hard as it may seem to believe, each of these homes on the Malibu coast goes for $15 million at a minimum.

Santa Monica , CA

Note: Created from graffiti photographed in Los Angeles, CA Amidst clouds of smoke And pyroclastic rivers A new day awakes. Like the morning dawn The sky shimmers and glows with Red luminescence. Ash coats and lava From volcanic eruptions Renew the Earth’s face. Fuji's sacred fires That both destroy and create Sustain life's cycle. ©2024 – William Sutherland

Las Vegas, NV Note: Created from the abstract pattern of a curtain at Worldmark by Wyndham . The vibrant colors represent the joy and vitality of life. The yellows represent sunshine, the reds represent blood (the substance of life) and the browns and ochres represent the clay of the earth from which we were created. The yellow bar represents the linear time of our life experiences on earth while the yellow circles represent perpetuity and eternity of our spiritual existence to come because of the imperishable nature of life.

Las Vegas, NV Las Vegas, NV – 3 February 2024

I-15 West, Nevada

Los Angeles, CA Note: The below photos were also taken in Los Angeles, CA on 6 February 2024:

Los Angeles, CA Los Angeles, CA – 6 February 2024

Los Angeles, CA Las Vegas, NV – 5 February 2024 Messages of Hope: Los Angeles, CA – 6 February 2024