Artist Statement

It is said, “Water gives life.” So it does; so it has.

Despite a life-long fear of swimming in water where I couldn’t see my feet, I came to understand and respect coastal hydrology during my three terms as an Artist-in-Residence in Acadia National Park in Maine starting in 2009. At home in Arizona, I redirected my artistic focus to learning more about water (and its scarcity) in the West. Then, in 2015, I fell off my stand-up paddleboard in a rapid on the Colorado River outside of Moab, Utah, and I fell in love with the river.

Over the last 25 years, I have made photographs that explore my relationship with the natural world; the last 17 have focused on landscapes shaped by water. I’m drawn to rivers, oceans, waterfalls, creeks (or cricks, as we called them growing up in Arkansas) puddles, and bubbles. I make photographs not just to memorialize beauty and awe, but also to convey movement, impermanence, and perseverance and to be present within a changing world.

Mindfulness, curiosity, discovery, connection, and reverence drive my photography. Conceptual blending and combinatory play help me make unexpected connections and build relationships between things that might not initially seem related. Increasingly, I also work across other creative forms—writing, painting, dancing, and most recently, music—expanding how I notice, connect, make meaning, and create.

I use art not only to find answers, but also to ask questions. Making art is how I investigate the places that intrigue me, the experiences that move me, and ideas that challenge me. As I try to make sense of this wild ride called life, I hope my artistic practice encourages others to be curious and courageous as they study the world through their own lens and consider their own place within it.

Like water, I believe life gives art and art gives life.

Colleen Miniuk
Chandler, AZ
September 2026