The ability to see intimate beauty in what appears initially as infinite is not a science or an art. Author Larry Cheek calls it a skill.Cheek says photographer David Muench, discovers art in the meaning of nature. Most people with a camera take photographs; David discovers photographs. He exhibits an astounding gift for seeing patterns and relationships in the landscape that escape most of us.For this book, David has walked patiently and thoughtfully around a score of the Southwest's most inspiring landscapes, from the low desert of California's Joshua Tree National Monument to the 9,157-foot peak of Arizona's Santa Catalina Mountains.Geographically, the work for Vast & Intimate separates into three sections: deserts; sky islands, or forested mountains rising from the desert; and the high Colorado Plateau. Vast & Intimate presents each place, then focuses on intimate details that illustrate natures richness and complexity.