Tessera

@maskflowerprince.bsky.social

Arts writer of "Mask of the Flower Prince," reformed academic, archaeologist, classical musician, sometime photographer, Minnesotan, all-around good guy. Photos are mine unless noted. He/him/his.

2087 Posts954 Follower 843 Folgt

@maskflowerprince.bsky.social · 14h ago

For #WallsOnWednesday. An eagle soars over the ruins of Salinas Pueblo Missions, New Mexico (2023). San Gregorio de Abó Church was active 1623 - 1673. #NewMexico #photography #travel #churches #nativeamerica #indigenous #native #southwest #desert #pueblos #ruins #EastCoastKin #ECK #WCK

The photo captures the red sandstone ruins of the San Gregorio de Abó Church, located within the Abó unit of the Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument in New Mexico.

The image shows weathered, multi-tiered stone walls and foundations built from local reddish-brown bricks. Remnants of a circular underground structure, known as a kiva, can be seen integrated near the church ruins.

@maskflowerprince.bsky.social · 14h ago

Honoring New MEXICO. For #WallsOnWednesday. The ancient stone walls of Chaco Canyon, New Mexico, mirror the stone formation Fajada Butte in the distance (2024). #NewMexico #nature #photography #landscape #nps #nationalpark #nativeamerica #archaeology #chacocanyon #EastCoastKin #ECK #WCK #ruins

This photograph captures the rugged desert landscape of Chaco Culture National Historical Park in New Mexico, looking out from the ancient ruins of the Great House known as Una Vida.

In the foreground and mid-ground are the weathered, stacked-stone walls of the Ancestral Puebloan ruin. The masonry showcases the distinct architectural style of dry-stone layering characteristic of Chacoan great houses. Prominently framed in the background is the iconic sandstone formation known as Fajada Butte, rising sharply from the flat desert canyon floor under a partly cloudy sky

@maskflowerprince.bsky.social · 15h ago

Honoring New MEXICO. For #WallsOnWednesday, enjoying the adobe walls of San Geronimo Church in Taos (2024). Originally built 1726; remodeled in 1850. #NewMexico #Taos #photography #churches #southwest #pueblos #church #nativeamerica #culture #heritage #indigenous #EastCoastKin #ECK #WCK

The image features a unique perspective framed through the cut-out opening of a weathered, white adobe wall in the foreground. Looking through this portal, the main church building is visible under a clear, bright blue sky. The church itself exhibits traditional Pueblo architecture with its distinct brown adobe walls, twin bell towers, and a small white cross at the top apex. The bright desert sunlight casts strong, defined shadows across the courtyard and the structures, highlighting the textures of the adobe surfaces.

@maskflowerprince.bsky.social · 17h ago

Honoring New MEXICO. For #WallsOnWednesday, The 900-year old ruins at (misnamed) Aztec Ruins National Park, in New Mexico (2021). It stood 4 stories, with 400 rooms and 30 kivas. #NewMexico #landscape #nps #nationalpark #nativeamerica #archaeology #EastCoastKin #ECK #WCK #desert #southwest #ruins

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@maskflowerprince.bsky.social · 17h ago

Honoring New MEXICO. For #WallsOnWednesday, the 1,000-year old ruins of Chaco Canyon. Here's the Great House of Kin Kletso, taken after hiking up to the cliffs above (2024). #NewMexico #photography #landscape #nps #nationalpark #nativeamerica #archaeology #chacocanyon #ruins #EastCoastKin #ECK #WCK

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@maskflowerprince.bsky.social · 19h ago

Honoring New MEXICO. For #WindowsOnWednesday, this stained glass installation by Rose Simpson at Buffalo Thunder, at the Pueblo of Pojoaque near Santa Fe (2024). #NewMexico #pueblos #glassart #photography #nativeart #nativeamerica #PhotographersOfBluesky #indigenous #EastCoastKin #ECK #WCK

This image shows a stained glass art piece featuring three stylized figures with warm-toned geometric faces and dark hair, captured in an elegant art-deco or contemporary indigenous style. The artwork is composed of intricate glass panels. The figures are dressed in white patterned garments with detailed green, mosaic-like accents.

@maskflowerprince.bsky.social · 20h ago

Honoring New MEXICO. For #WallsOnWednesday, the ancient mesa-top pueblo ruins at the Puye Cliff Dwellings in New Mexico (2024). It was the ancestral home of the Santa Clara Pueblo people. #NewMexico #nativeamerica #archaeology #NativeAmerican #culture #heritage #indigenous #EastCoastKin #ECK #WCK

The photo shows the stone ruins of the Puye Cliff Dwellings under a blue sky with scattered white clouds. The image features the maze-like foundation walls of an ancient pueblo village constructed from light brown and reddish stones stacked on top of each other. Short green shrubs, dry brush, and weeds grow within the unroofed room enclosures and along the pathways.

@maskflowerprince.bsky.social · 21h ago

Honoring New MEXICO. For #WackyArtWednesday. A favorite gallery in Old Town Albuquerque, New Mexico (2025). #Albuquerque #NewMexico #Art #UrbanGaze #PublicArt #photography #photographersofbluesky #EastCoastKin #ECK #WCK

This photograph shows the exterior of the Santisima Art Gallery in Old Town Albuquerque, New Mexico, beautifully decorated with traditional Mexican folk art and Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) themes.

@maskflowerprince.bsky.social · yesterday

Honoring New MEXICO. For #rockinTuesday, a "decorated" rock from Petroglyph National Monument near Albuquerque (2024) A strange landscape with rock carvings going back to 2000 BCE. #rock #NewMexico #photography #nps #nationalpark #nativeamerica #petroglyph #EastCoastKin #ECK #WCK

This photograph shows a close-up view of ancient petroglyphs carved into a large, dark volcanic rock at Petroglyph National Monument in New Mexico. The central subject is a rough, textured basalt boulder with a dark, weathered patina. Two distinct stick-figure anthropomorphic images are pecked into the rock surface. The lighter color of the carvings contrasts with the darker, naturally weathered surface of the boulder.

@maskflowerprince.bsky.social · 2d ago

Honoring New MEXICO. For #rockintuesday, Fajada Butte, standing sentinel over the ancient ruins at Chaco Canyon in New Mexico (2025). #NewMexico #nature #photography #landscape #nps #nationalpark #nativeamerica #archaeology #chacocanyon #EastCoastKin #ECK #WCK #desert #southwest

This photo captures Fajada Butte, a striking geological formation rising dramatically from the desert landscape of Chaco Canyon, New Mexico. The central focus is a massive, flat-topped butte with distinct layered rock strata. Its rugged, steep cliffs transition into a sloped, debris-covered base that meets the valley floor.

@maskflowerprince.bsky.social · 2d ago

Honoring New MEXICO. For #rockintuesday, a view from the Tsankawi trail, part of Bandelier National Monument in New Mexico (2025). #newmexico #bandelier #nature #photography #nativeamerica #desert #southwest #landscape #landscapephotogray #photographersofbluesky #EastCoastKin #ECK #WCK

The photo captures a scenic landscape along the Tsankawi Trail on the Pajarito Plateau in New Mexico.

A rugged, sandy hillside composed of soft volcanic tuff rock layers under a clear blue sky with light, wispy white clouds. A tall, rustic wooden ladder is positioned against the side of the sandstone mesa, giving access to the upper cliff sections. Several small, naturally eroded or hand-carved cave openings (cavates) are visible in the rock face near the ladder, highlighting the area's rich Ancestral Puebloan history.

@maskflowerprince.bsky.social · 2d ago

Honoring New MEXICO. For #rockintuesday, the lithic beauty of New Mexico's El Malpaís National Monument. (2024). #rock #NewMexico #photography #landscape #nps #nationalpark #photography #landscapephotography #southwest #desert #sandstone #geology #EastCoastKin #ECK #WCK

This photograph showcases a distinctive sandstone rock formation set against a clear, vibrant blue sky at the Sandstone Bluffs in El Malpaís National Monument, New Mexico.

Dominating the left-center of the frame is a large, weathered sandstone pillar featuring an overhanging, top-heavy cap rock. It creates a natural arch-like silhouette with a hollowed-out window underneath, sculpted over centuries by wind and water erosion.

@maskflowerprince.bsky.social · 2d ago

Honoring New MEXICO. For #mountainMonday, a view of New Mexico's Sandia Mountains, with a glimpse of the Rio Grande (2025). #newmexico #nature #photography #nativeamerica #desert #southwest #landscape #landscapephotogray #photographersofbluesky #BlueSkyMonday #EastCoastKin #ECK #WCK

The photo captures a expansive scenic view of the Sandia Mountains rising behind the Rio Grande river basin under a clear blue sky.

@maskflowerprince.bsky.social · 3d ago

Honoring New MEXICO. For #mountainmonday, the Ortiz Mountains along New Mexico's Turquoise Trail (2025). #landscape #scape #landscapephotography #NewMexico #nature #desert #southwest #nativeamerica #BlueSkyMonday #EastCoastKin #ECK #WCK

This photo captures a scenic, sunlit desert landscape along the Turquoise Trail between Albuquerque and Santa Fe, New Mexico.

The terrain is covered in arid vegetation, featuring dense green shrubs, small juniper or pinon trees, and dry, sandy soil. A prominent, rounded hill with exposed light-colored rock and sparse vegetation rises on the left side of the middle ground. In the background, rolling desert mountains stretch across the horizon under a vast sky.

@maskflowerprince.bsky.social · 3d ago

Celebrating New MEXICO. The Red Rock Trail on the Jemez Pueblo Reservation in New Mexico, after the rain (2025). #landscape #scape #landscapephotography #NewMexico #nature #desert #southwest #nativeamerica #pueblos #Jemez #EastCoastKin #ECK #WCK #BlueSkyMonday #MountainMonday

The right side of the frame is dominated by a jagged, vertical spire of weathered red rock, showing layered horizontal strata. Scattered throughout the foreground and mid-ground are resilient desert plants, including green juniper bushes and small shrubs growing out of the sandy earth. In the distance, the landscape transitions into rolling hills and mesas under a wide sky filled with soft white and gray clouds.

@maskflowerprince.bsky.social · 5d ago

For #BlueSkyArtShow #minimal. Sharing a favorite pic of the dawn. Sunrise on Kenya's Maasai Mara (2022). #Photography #sunrise #kenya #masaimara #africa #PhotographersOfBluesky #EastCoastKin #ECK #WCK

This image captures a stark, beautiful sunrise silhouette in the African savanna. The scene is dominated by a vibrant, deep golden-orange sky that glows intensely around the horizon where the sun is just beginning to peek through. A sharp, dark black horizon line cuts across the lower third of the image, representing the flat plains of the savanna. Standing out clearly against the glowing backdrop is a single, solitary acacia tree.

@maskflowerprince.bsky.social · 5d ago

For #BlueSkyArtShow #minimal. Flamingos wading in Kenya's Amboseli National Park, at the foot of Mt. Kilimanjaro (2022). #Africa #PhotographersOfBlueSky #Amboseli #Kenya #photography #nature #naturephotography #flamingos #birds #EastCoastKin #ECK #WCK

The photo captures four pink flamingos wading in calm, bright blue water. The birds are positioned across the center of the frame, creating clear, soft reflections on the glassy water's surface.

@maskflowerprince.bsky.social · 5d ago

For #BlueSkyArtShow #minimal. I liked this photo from Acoma Pueblo, New Mexico, with the squared-off Enchanted Mesa contrasting with the roundness of the juniper tree (2003). #NewMexico #scape #landscape #photography #Acoma #nativeamerica #native #southwest #desert #pueblos #Eastcoastkin #ECK #WCK

A scene from Acoma Pueblo in New Mexico. In the foreground, a large rounded juniper tree with dense green foliage stands on the left side, cast against a light-colored, sandy or dirt terrain. Sparse, low-growing green desert shrubs are scattered across the ground. In the background, a massive, flat-topped mesa rises out of the desert plain. The sky is a vast, pale blue with a few faint, wispy white clouds scattered near the horizon.

@maskflowerprince.bsky.social · 6d ago

For #forestFriday and #scape Friday. Devil's Kettle in northern Minnesota, along Lake Superior's north shore. It's a waterfall where half the river flows into a large pothole and disappears. #Minnesota #LakeSuperior #photography #landscape #landscapephotography #waterfalls #EastCoastKin #ECK #WCK

This photo captures the Upper Falls of the Brule River, a scenic geological site located within Judge C. R. Magney State Park along Minnesota’s North Shore.

Rushing, churning white water cascades down a dark, multi-tiered rock face, dividing into smaller torrents before collecting into a wide, turbulent pool at the base.

@maskflowerprince.bsky.social · 7d ago

Also for #PalacesandGardens #PalaceRunway. Floor from the Ca' d'Oro (Palazzo Santa Sofia), a palace on the Grand Canal in Venice (2013). #Venice #Italy #GrandCanal #photography #travelphotography #EastCoastKin #ECK #WCK

This image features a detailed photograph of the ornate mosaic flooring in the open courtyard of Ca' d'Oro (the Galleria Giorgio Franchetti) located along the Grand Canal in Venice, Italy.

The stonework displays intricate Cosmatesque and Byzantine-style geometric patterns, meticulously inlaid using multicolored marble chips, porphyry, serpentine, and precious stones.

@maskflowerprince.bsky.social · 7d ago

For #PalacesandGardens #PalaceRunway. Window of the prison where Queen Marie Antoinette was held at the Conciergerie in Paris before her execution (2018). #photography #Paris #architecture #France #window #history #EastCoastKin #ECK #WCK

This photo displays an interior viewpoint of multi-pane window structures inside the Conciergerie, a historic former palace and French Revolutionary prison located in Paris.

Thick vertical iron security bars run closely behind the center window frames, serving as a prominent architectural reminder of the building's identity as a state prison.

The windows contain a combination of translucent glass panels mixed with colored green and pinkish panes, some of which appear significantly cracked, aged, or weathered.

@maskflowerprince.bsky.social · last wk.

For #WackyArtWednesday. Seed art at the Minnesota State Fair (2026). Given the events in Minnesota, the art was quite political this year. #Art #UrbanGaze #PublicArt #Minnesota #MinnesotaStateFair #photography #EastCoastKin #ECK #WCK

The central showcase is a large triptych titled "Minneapolis Martyrs", created by St. Paul-based artist and Minnesota State Representative Athena Hollins.

The piece pays tribute to prominent individuals who died during encounters with police or federal authorities in the Twin Cities: George Floyd (left), Renee Good (center), and Alex Pretti (right).

Constructed using varying textures and natural tones of corn, beans, and wild rice to detail features, hair, and clothing.

This photo features an award-winning piece of traditional Minnesota State Fair crop art titled Twin Cities 2026 (Guernica 1937).

The artwork is a highly detailed, contemporary reimagining of Pablo Picasso’s famous 1937 anti-war mural, Guernica, meticulously assembled using thousands of tiny seeds, grains, and plant materials

@maskflowerprince.bsky.social · last wk.

For #RockinTuesday. Morning at Acadia National Park, Maine (2024). Protect our National Parks! #landscape #seascape #PhotographersOfBlueSky #Maine #nature #photography #Acadia #nps #nationalpark #ocean #EastCoastKin #ECK #WCK

The photo displays a rocky coastline located in Acadia National Park, Maine.

Large, weathered brown boulders scattered across a small stretch of sandy beach in the foreground. Gentle ocean waves rolling over the rocks where the shore meets the clear blue water. A steep, rocky hillside on the right side of the frame, densely covered with green pine trees and coastal vegetation. An overcast sky with thick, soft white and gray clouds hanging low over the horizon.

@maskflowerprince.bsky.social · last wk.

For #TombTuesday. The North Acropolis, the great necropolis of the Maya kings at Tikal (2000). Burials span more than 1,000 years. #photography #tikal #guatemala #maya #temple #ruins #mesoamerica #AncientBlueSky #archaeology #temple #EastCoastKin #ECK #WCK #rockintuesday

This photo captures a misty, atmospheric view of the North Acropolis at the ancient Maya city of Tikal in Guatemala.

Large, weathered stone structures and platforms featuring classic Mesoamerican stepped architecture and wide stone staircases. A dense layer of fog or mist blankets the upper portion of the ruins and the background, giving the scene a mysterious, early-morning appearance. Tall, dense green trees and tropical foliage frame the left side of the image, contrasting against the dark gray stone of the archaeological structures.

@maskflowerprince.bsky.social · last wk.

For #MountainMonday. Desert wildflowers against a mountain backdrop in Tsankawi, part of Bandelier National Monument, New Mexico (2025). #newmexico #bandelier #nature #photography #flowers #desert #southwest #landscape #landscapephotogray #photographersofbluesky #EastCoastKin #ECK #WCK #bloomscroll

This landscape photograph showcases a field of purple wildflowers blooming under a dramatic blue sky filled with puffy white clouds. The picture captures the native flora of Tsankawi Mesa, a distinct region located within Bandelier National Monument in New Mexico, United States.

@maskflowerprince.bsky.social · last wk.

For #MountainMonday. Al-Qurn (The Horn) towers over Egypt's Valley of the Kings (2004). It's an almost pyramidal shape, which is likely why the valley was chosen as the location of a royal necropolis. #egypt #luxor #travel #naturephotography #photography #EastCoastKin #ECK #WCK

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@maskflowerprince.bsky.social · 2w ago

For #BlueSkyArtShow #summer. Hanging out at the beach, this family ran by and started playing ball. Pure summer (2009). #PhotographersOfBlueSky #Florida #GulfofMexico #nature #ocean #photography #seascape #EastCoastKin #ECK #WCK

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@maskflowerprince.bsky.social · 2w ago

For #blueskyartshow #summer. Summer at the cabin, right on the lake (2026). A hallowed Minnesota tradition. #Minnesota #photography #landscape #lakes #landscapephotography #water #EastCoastKin #ECK #WCK

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@maskflowerprince.bsky.social · 2w ago

Continuing for #scape Friday, another #landscape / #riverscape showing life along Egypt's legendary river, the #Nile (2004). #nileriver #egypt #luxor #travel #Aswan #naturephotography #PhotographersOfBlueSky #forestFriday #photography #EastCoastKin #ECK #WCK

This photograph captures a scenic, sunlit riverside landscape along the River Nile in Egypt, filled with lush greenery and a traditional boat.

Two people are aboard a small, narrow wooden boat navigating the river. They are operating a long pole to steer or push through the water. A second, empty wooden boat is anchored closer to the shoreline in the background.

A dense, sprawling grove of mature palm trees covers the hillside along the bank. Below the trees, a narrow strip of green grass meets the water's edge.

@maskflowerprince.bsky.social · 2w ago

For #forestFriday and #scape Friday, here's Clava Cairns in the Scottish Highlands, outside of Inverness. The standing stones and circular tombs are 4,000 years old, and helped inspire "Outlander." #Scotland #Highlands #ruins #ancientbluesky #photography #landscape #EastCoastKin #ECK #WCK

This photo shows a large, weathered ancient standing stone set within a grassy field at the Clava Cairns prehistoric site in Scotland.

A tall, vertically oriented monolithic slab occupies the center of the frame. Its surface is heavily textured, rough, and covered in gray and white lichen.

A lush green landscape spreads out behind the monolith. A dense line of mature green trees forms a canopy under a bright, overcast white sky. A few distant stones or ruins are subtly visible among the grass and trees.