Spending a night in one of my many favourite wild spaces in the Peak District, both to enjoy and to photograph got me thinking again about the life force that trees bring to the earth, they are the veins of wilderness and our breath..
Consider this... 'A single mature tree can absorb carbon dioxide at a rate of 48 lbs./year and release enough oxygen back into the atmosphere to support 2 human beings.. One acre of trees annually consumes the amount of carbon dioxide equivalent to that produced by driving an average car for 26,000 miles. That same acre of trees also produces enough oxygen for 18 people to breathe for a year.' For that reason alone trees are hugely important but also there is something mystical and healing about being close to trees; They fire the imagination, soothe the heart and clear the mind. I look forward to a 2 day return to this wonderful forest at Xmas, for some tree photo therapy!
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'I am with Nature It is with me' Our preview launch for 'Close to my Heart' went very well and it was good to meet some new people who just happened to pop into the P Spowage gallery unexpectedly. I am exhibiting 6 images around the theme 'Of Nature's Secrets' until the 10th October. I will be in the gallery tomorrow and Friday afternoon so anyone local, pop on in and say hello! Of Nature's Secrets 'These photographs come from a desire to capture spaces in the natural world that I am continually drawn to. Spaces that unearth and awaken both a deep spiritual connection and an ethereal energy. They leave a mark on my heart, soul and being. The physical and creative process of finding these spaces is often accidental, yet at the same time hypnotic - Something powerful attracts me momentarily and once found, an emotional and visual attachment remains forever. My endeavour is to continually capture and experiment with this essence and be with it in nature, as it is within me…' My favourite image, or maybe I should say more personal image from my exhibition is 'Of Nature's Spirit'. A self portrait that I did in the Peaks. I found a secret space that I had never laid my eyes on before, quite by accident - a wonderful natural studio with light entering from above. I spent a good few hours alone in my element photographing and creating. I'm glad I didn't fall over the rocks in the water, they were slippery and sharp at times - no one would've heard my cries if I had fallen over and the place is without a mobile signal but thus, these are the some time sacrifices made for photography and art. The irony is also, the day I took this image I was actually heading for a long walk up into the hills but became distracted and hence, didn't manage to do the walk in the end! Like a calling, I followed my heart to the space above. Going through a period of loss at the time, being in nature, creating and experimenting brought back a simple happiness and positivity.. such is the force of nature. |
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