Ep25 of Thinking of Art features professional photographer and adventurer, Tony Arruza! For over 40 years, Arruza has traveled the world capturing incredible images linked to captivating stories. In my interview, we talked about the first underwater camera his dad gave him in the 1970s that carved the course of his life.

After spending six months in Peru traveling and surfing, it was the experience of Machu Picchu which opened his eyes and drive to view nature around the globe. While in Bali in 1980 (linked to a dangerous moment on Padang Padang Beach), he shared how scared he was to have made it out alive. In another memorable moment in South Africa, he unexpectedly attended a Xhosa Celebration while then lead him years later to Sumatra to capture a giant waterfall.

While in Indonesia in 1987, he talked about coming across a path of spectacular Eucalyptus Trees. At only 21, he submitted his surfing photographs and how the decision of the surfing magazine to publish them created the motivation to pursue his passion for the next 40 years. In March 2020, he went back to Greenland to capture some remote villages and aspects of nature that were meaningful for him. Although he had to leave in March due to Covid, I’m proud to share some of those shots (and many others from this travels) in the online shop.

Arruza expressed how he hopes the experience with Covid-19 will help humans to be more consciously aware of the environment and our planet. I’m delighted to have met Arruza and thrilled to feature works from 1980 – 2020 in my recent online exhibition, ‘Awake & Aware’. Please take a look when you can and DM me with any questions. Viewing the images and hearing the stories is a reminder that we are all connected to nature. Be gentle to mother earth and kind to all who are living on our planet. | Purchase Arruza’s works on online.