Canopy Pond, Ghost Flower
2017
cotton fabric, paracord, landscape
approximately 3 x 7 feet
Painted off a hiking trail near Wanakena, New York
During my residency at Otto's Abode, I hiked down a section of a trail that was closed off by a beaver pond. Right before the pond, the trail widened out between dozens of Ghost Flowers growing under many different types of trees. (Monotropa Uniflora - The Ghost Flower does not contain chlorophyll. Energy is taken by the roots from photosynthetic trees and decaying material on the dark forest floor. The plant turns pink as it matures and black when severed from roots.) I chose this location to suspend an elongated and skewed, pentagon-shaped, fabric panel. I was captivated by the plants and the light and felt like this painting had to be made here. When I paint in the middle of complex and mysterious ecosystems, I stand on features like barren rocks or previously trampled ground so that the consequences of my presence are minimized. Thankfully there were lots of rocks on the trail. This photograph was made just before I began tracing the dappled light falling onto the fabric with cyanotype solution.
During my residency at Otto's Abode, I hiked down a section of a trail that was closed off by a beaver pond. Right before the pond, the trail widened out between dozens of Ghost Flowers growing under many different types of trees. (Monotropa Uniflora - The Ghost Flower does not contain chlorophyll. Energy is taken by the roots from photosynthetic trees and decaying material on the dark forest floor. The plant turns pink as it matures and black when severed from roots.) I chose this location to suspend an elongated and skewed, pentagon-shaped, fabric panel. I was captivated by the plants and the light and felt like this painting had to be made here. When I paint in the middle of complex and mysterious ecosystems, I stand on features like barren rocks or previously trampled ground so that the consequences of my presence are minimized. Thankfully there were lots of rocks on the trail. This photograph was made just before I began tracing the dappled light falling onto the fabric with cyanotype solution.