In March of 2020, when quarantining became commonplace, I felt beat down by the pandemic. But my garden still grew; the peonies still bloomed their ant-covered buds; the azalea still popped red with its trumpet flowers; the hibiscus still drooped heavily; the crab apple tree still bore its flowers and fruit; the lilac still stopped us with its pungent odor. Noticing all these things while having few places to go made it all seem more vibrant. What’s more consistent than the seasons? I turned my camera on the one subject I've found cliché all my life: natural beauty.

Rob O’Neil received his BFA with a concentration in photography from the University of Akron, Ohio, and his MFA in Cinema and Photography from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. He currently lives in Albany, NY, and is an Assistant Professor of Photography at The College of Saint Rose in Albany, NY. While actively eschewing ‘hipsterism’ he does seem inexplicably drawn to IPAs from small breweries and good coffee. Just before the pandemic, he got a puppy, who is now socially stunted, and his two cats are likewise unhappy.