Dead Wood

Coniferous bonsai trees, as they acquire greater age, tend to express their character in their trunks. Holes and knots, twisted and gnarled by time. Portions of the tree die, lose its bark, and eventually are bleached white by the sun. Bone-like and beautiful, this is the Dead Wood.

In the world of bonsai, age and the enhancement of beauty that aging can bring are highly valued. As the trunks have the most obvious aging and unique character, I’ve chosen to focus on this part of the tree for this project.

These tree trunks are photographs, captured in the camera by light painting my hand while wearing custom-made gloves. The photo is carefully planned and practiced before making a very long exposure. It is built slowly over time, not unlike the bonsai tree it mimics.