| The Bark Series
A new perspective on Bark I went to the San Diego Zoo in the spring of 2002 with a brand new camera to photograph the animals, but came away with the beginnings of an unexpected collection - The Bark Series. My first photographs of bark featured close ups of a palm where the leaves came together in a particularly eye catching V-shape (Bark Series I, Abyssinian banana) and a eucalyptus near the entrance to the zoo, with a display of colors I had never encountered on a tree before (Bark Series II, Mindanao gum). It was the first time that I had seen a eucalyptus that looked as if it had been painted in a vivid palette of reds, oranges, and greens. The Palm presented more subtle hues and I found myself draw to the strong diagonals and the interplay of lines and textures. The bark in both these trees offered not only an abstract pattern of striking colors and and bold shapes, but a variety of intricate textures - an irresistible and magnificent photographer's canvas! San Francisco's Golden Gate Park and the Botanical Garden with its many exotic species have also provided wonderful photographic opportunities since I embarked (no pun intended) on the journey of bark photography. Little did I know that my initial close ups of bark, which caught my eye in San Diego a few years ago, would be the beginning of a collection which continues to this day to g row and evolve. I introduced my new collection of bark photographs, Skin Deep - The Beauty of Bark, for the first time in 2004 at the Botanical Garden Library in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park, a venue where the exhibition was well received and successful beyond my greatest expectations. My book, Skin Deep - The Beauty of Bark - was published for the exhibition. |
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