In the Woods

I have enjoyed a life long affinity for trees, playing in them and under them as a child; finding joy, solace, and contemplative time walking among them as an adult. The beauty, diversity and physiology of trees provides fascinating study. They face peril in abundance in our contemporary world - cutting for profit, salinization of coastal waters, importation of disease and competitive non native species to name a few.

Collagraph printing plates are made using tree bark, reproducing the surface patterns as embossment on printing papers. Color and shape relationships are unique in each print. The images are fixed to wood panels and infused with encaustic medium, enhancing the optical depth and play of light across the surface. Some pieces in the series are created by pushing the plates directly into several layers of warm wax followed by hand coloring with oil pigment sticks. This series began in 2005 and continues.