Bark Abstraction: Art on Trees

Barkreation - Image c Lynda Lehmann

The rough and irregular bark of a Southern Pine resembles shingles or a jigsaw puzzle and creates a lively abstract pattern.  I find exquisite beauty in the articulated and varied surfaces of tree bark. Nature moves us in unexpected but exhilarating ways.



Note: You can click on each photo to see a larger version. All images and text on this blog are copyrighted material, and may be used only with written permission, except where syndication rights have been granted. All other rights reserved. Please visit my sites listed in my sidebar if you would like to see my paintings and more of my photography and digital art, or make a purchase.

In Every Inch, a World...

Texture Play - Image c Lynda Lehmann

The wild woody plexus knows
its own emergence
and certain of the sun,
wills itself to life.

Wrinkled welter of the arbor
yields to efflorescent splendor,
and springs forth in joyful verdure
to grasp the azure sky.

****

In the tangle of the thicket,
intimations of Everything...
and in every inch, a World.

- Poems c Lynda Lehmann




Bark Abstracts c Lynda Lehmann

(Note to my dear blogging friends: Any and all constructive criticisms of these two little poems are invited and will be gratefully accepted. What would you change? Which words would you leave out? Would you change the line breaks?)

HAPPY SPRING, EVERYBODY!

All images and text c Lynda Lehmann. If you would like to view more of my art, please visit Lynda Lehmann Painting and Photography or my gallery at Imagekind, where you can choose from several sizes and paper types or buy my prints plain or matted and framed.

Quiet Witness on a Snowy Day

The beauty I see around me leaves me speechless. Sometimes I just like to pay homage, bear quiet witness, and fill my cup with beauty.

Today we took a two-hour walk in the snowy woods, surrounded by peace, scenic snowy scenes, and a tangle of living things groping their way to the promise of new growth. I'll publish more of my photos from our trek, if I find that they have enough exposure. I was shooting with a small aperture for depth of field, but the ice and snow made it difficult to manage my tripod. And those hand-held shots are tricky, especially when you have to watch your footing!

I wish you a warm and cozy night. Before I close, I just want to thank my dear friend Anna at My Only Photo for posting my image from my last post, on her page. Anna is a terrific photographer, mommy, and friend. Thanks, Anna!

Image and text c Lynda Lehmann. If you would like to view more of my art or make a purchase, please visit Lynda Lehmann Painting and Photography or my gallery at Imagekind, where you can choose from several sizes and paper types or buy my prints plain or matted and framed.

The Nature of Pine Bark: Beauty in Every Line and Pore

The Beauty of Pine Bark - Lynda Lehmann c 2009

Looking for and finding natural beauty, is my life. It carries me through my days, cushioning me from life's disappointments and the tragedies of the human condition. I remember the day I walked around the shore of Echo Lake State Park in New Hampshire, snapping photos of tree bark. I approached this tall pine, among others, on a crowded beach, and stood just a couple of inches from the scabrous and meandering bark. The people sunning on the lake shore literally stared--no doubt they thought I had escaped from the "loony bin." What IS that woman doing, standing with her nose stuck against the trunk of that scraggly, old pine? (Smirk...)

I've always had to explain to people how and why I LOOK at things with great interest. I've been asked in recent years,"Why are you always looking up?" The answer, of course, is that I find great inspiration in the trees, sky, and clouds. And why shouldn't I? Chances are, those particular acquaintances might be more concerned with contemplating their navels.

I remember WAY back in my college days, when I carried an apple home from the dining hall at Penn State and a roommate made a quip about "pseudo-intellectualism." But I was in earnest when I commented on the form and exquisite color of the apple. Of course in those days of upheaval and rebellion, we questioned everything. Especially the "Establishment," the "military-industrial complex" and the other stale institutions of the status-quo. Now, in my ripe old age, I realize that more than anything, we have to question ourselves, as the basis for any positive change. Transformation begins with our own perception and intellect. We have to take responsibility for who we are, for our own attitudes, actions and reactions, before we can change the world.

I'm lucky that simple beauties change the world for me! If this means I'm a "simple" person, I'll take it. I think I'm blessed to find the beauty and mystery in small details some other folks might be "too busy" to discover.

NOTE: I did tweak the above photo a bit, to bring out the hues that were already there, in the pine bark.

All photos and text copyright Lynda Lehmann. All rights reserved.

If you would like to view my art or make a purchase, please visit Lynda Lehmann Painting and Photography or my gallery at Imagekind, where you can choose from several sizes and paper types or buy my prints plain or matted and framed.

The Devil's in The Details, And So is Sublimity

Light Play, Sweep of Clouds

Little Secrets of the Forest

Water

The Details

Bark Abstract

Primeval Patterns

Barkscape

Lichen Painting

Textures in nature abound. To me it's a miracle just how many variations on a theme exist on every tree, every boulder, every expanse of water or sky. Infinity is manifest on so many levels. The details are there everyday to please our eyes and lead us to the recognition of forces so much greater than ourselves. Like variations on a theme or algorithmic permutations, the symphonic display of colors and surface markings is the calligraphy of the cosmos. Above you see sky, clouds, water, rock, and several views of bark and lichen. Each entity carries endless potential for changing form, surface character, or other properties. Our cup is always full with dynamic and ever-changing forms of beauty--if we will see them.

I can't begin to imagine how much more beauty and diversity of form exists in the vast world that is beyond my little sphere, but that makes the excitement and promise of mysteries to come, even greater.

All images and text c Lynda Lehmann. If you would like to view more of my art or make a purchase, please visit Lynda Lehmann Painting and Photography or my gallery at Imagekind, where you can choose from several sizes and paper types or buy my prints plain or matted and framed.

Layers

Texture is the most enduring and ubiquitous underpinning of form:...certainly a calming, meditative and appealing world for both the eye and mind.

Texture is everywhere we look, and nature's paintbrush is capable of stunning feats. I hope you enjoy the rough-hewn beauty of tree bark as much as I do.

Image and text c Lynda Lehmann.

The Colors of Bark

I had no time to blog tonight, but I couldn't help myself. When I find 20 minutes or half an hour and start to work up an image, I have to see it through. So I'm addicted to photography, Photoshop, and blogging, all at once. Many times it gets in the way of my painting, which I'm trying to keep as my first priority. Especially as I have that show coming up.


This is the bark of a palm. I found it to be such a textural treat, and full of colors and character as well, that I had to post it! I love the sunlight playing on it, making it glow and come alive for the eye! If you look closely, you can see the blue, orange, and purple tones. I'm truly coming to believe that some of the most stunning and magnificent scenes are to found in very small things, or portions of those things. And nature is the thing I like the most!


Do you find beauty in this image, or am I just blinded by the (sun) light?


If you want to see more of my photography, or my paintings, please visit www.lyndalehmann.com. My other sites are listed there. Thanks for stopping by!

Bark in the Park

No reference in this post to barking dogs intended, although yes, I've encountered many vocal pets in local parks. It's about "barkscapes." I love to enjoy the natural beauty of both the macrocosm and the microcosm. I think I've learned to take in both simultaneously, through the lens of my camera. And having a "real" microscope that I received for my 12th birthday, also opened my eyes to the amazing and often gorgeous detail below the threshold of our everyday vision.

I think that texture is the most universal underpinning of form--it's everywhere and part of every object, either natural or man made. (Now, f only I could hold my SONY D-SLR more steady! I'm looking for a lightweight monopod that will do the job, so if anyone has recommendations, I'm open to them. My tripod is just too heavy to tote around.)

Here are two photos of the same tree. A sycamore, perhaps? One is at "regular" focal distance and the other is a close up, though not quite a macro shot. In the second shot, I tweaked the colors just slightly and adjusted the brightness and contrast, to bring out the beautiful pattern. I think it makes a good abstract, don't' you?

One of Robert Genn's newsletters at his Painter's Keys site http://www.painterskeys.com/ was about Miksang, the art of seeing detail in everyday things. I tried to find the link to the article to post it here, but my computer started opening multiple windows and I had to close down, because my task manager wouldn't cooperate. You can search for it at his site if you want to read it.

After I read it, I realized I'd been practicing Miksang practically all my life!

My photographs and paintings are available for purchase at http://www.lyndalehmann.com/ and some of my other sites, which are linked there. Images and text c 2007 Lynda Lehmann. All rights reserved.

Light Makes All Things Real

Pine Bark, Echo Lake

Barkscape VIII

The Nature of Pine Bark

Illlumined



Light makes all things real.





Images and text c Lynda Lehmann. All rights reserved. You can view more of my work or purchase my photos at www.lyndalehmann.com

Life of a Tree

The life of a tree is revealed not just by its height or its growth rings, but by the marks and scars its days have wrought upon its bark. The bark reveals the character of a tree in the same way the lines on a person's face show his or her age. The bark speaks of hardships endured, as well as of life-force and survival.


Text and image c Lynda Lehmann. If you would like to see more of my work, please visit www.lyndalehmann.com . Thanks for visiting!

Lascaux Bark

Nature is full of surprises and design is everywhere one looks, and at all levels of the cosmos. For me, finding pattern, design, or a pictorial quality in unexpected places makes my life rich with the adventure of "looking."

The bark of this tree reminds me of the cave paintings in Lascaux, France and other places. It has a primordial feel to it--I can see a boar or a bull charging. What do YOU see? Image c Lynda Lehmann.

"Lascaux Bark" is available at www.lyndalehmann.com or you can contact me through this blog for more information.