Lately What Preys On My Mind
I photograph trees, obsessively. I have for decades. In some strange way, I need to. There’s a spiritual nourishment I get from wandering through wooded places, but its also an opportunity to explore my thoughts and feelings. And that’s where the captions come from. Some of the words are mine, some are expressions of others more elegantly worded than my own, but capture my feelings precisely.
I’m trying to find friends in the forest. Individuals I can relate and connect to in some way. They listen to me, patiently, and I love them for that. I wish I could do that for my real friends. Just be there and listen, and not add or interject anything. It’s such a lovely feeling to be really heard.
In many ways these trees are my mentors. I admire them in so many ways. I love their organic forms and lines, so alluring, so very sexy. I love their gesture, posture, and body language. I love the variety, the individuality, not only of their appearance, but also of their experience. I love their commitment to place, their stoicism, and love of sunlight. I love their changes. I love their impartiality. I love their availability. I love their transparency, candor, and generosity. I love trees for these qualities, and I want to learn all these things from them, for myself.
I don’t wanna be a tree, I just wanna be like them.