Yvette Lucas Portfolios

		Second Nature The work in this exhibit is a culmination of nearly 40 years photographing the natural world, both in the wild and in our communities. It began when I rediscovered my love of trees while hiking in The Berkshire hills of Western Massachusetts in the 1980’s. Among the trees in the forest, I felt a strong sense of belonging and reverence. This feeling led to several series of photographs taken to engage in and document the experience of interaction with nature. We often miss the opportunity to find this connection unless we give our full attention to that mysterious but common element of our existence. The part of us that is affected by nature’s healing power is universal and a privilege of our heritage as inhabitants of this world. These groups of images come from five series that focus on some of the different ways I’ve experienced nature. “Tree Portraits” is the first series that strives to explore the nature or “personality” of individual trees. I focus on the trees that tell stories, awe, or communicate with their environment in a visual and emotional way.“Lake Garfield” is a portrait of the lake, viewing it from the water using a kayak and a toy Holga camera with film. This lake has been a pool of remembrance for me whenever I’m near it. “Found Collage” and “In the Garden” are explorations in color after many years of only shooting in black and white. Color work led me to explore the abstract in nature and see subtleties that might not be appreciated in a monotone print. The ecoprints in the group of images called “Moths to flame” are not photographs but prints made by steaming leaves and plants onto paper to release their natural dyes. Photographs of moths were later taken and photo-transferred onto the prints. In this series, moth images are paired with the essence of fallen leaves to symbolize our continual pattern of the destruction and conservation of our world. My hope is for the viewer to experience some of what I have seen and felt during these explorations and to see something in nature with new eyes; the discoveries are endless.





		RIKER HILL ART PARK OPEN HOUSE Artist Studios & Demonstrations Saturday & Sunday, June 1 - 2, 2013 11am-5pm Viridian Print Studio at Riker Hill Art Park 284 Beaufort Avenue, Bld 506 Livingston, NJ 07039 Located off of Eisenhower Parkway near Route 10 973 809 8261 MAP & DIRECTIONS

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		Second Nature The work in this exhibit is a culmination of nearly 40 years photographing the natural world, both in the wild and in our communities. It began when I rediscovered my love of trees while hiking in The Berkshire hills of Western Massachusetts in the 1980’s. Among the trees in the forest, I felt a strong sense of belonging and reverence. This feeling led to several series of photographs taken to engage in and document the experience of interaction with nature. We often miss the opportunity to find this connection unless we give our full attention to that mysterious but common element of our existence. The part of us that is affected by nature’s healing power is universal and a privilege of our heritage as inhabitants of this world. These groups of images come from five series that focus on some of the different ways I’ve experienced nature. “Tree Portraits” is the first series that strives to explore the nature or “personality” of individual trees. I focus on the trees that tell stories, awe, or communicate with their environment in a visual and emotional way.“Lake Garfield” is a portrait of the lake, viewing it from the water using a kayak and a toy Holga camera with film. This lake has been a pool of remembrance for me whenever I’m near it. “Found Collage” and “In the Garden” are explorations in color after many years of only shooting in black and white. Color work led me to explore the abstract in nature and see subtleties that might not be appreciated in a monotone print. The ecoprints in the group of images called “Moths to flame” are not photographs but prints made by steaming leaves and plants onto paper to release their natural dyes. Photographs of moths were later taken and photo-transferred onto the prints. In this series, moth images are paired with the essence of fallen leaves to symbolize our continual pattern of the destruction and conservation of our world. My hope is for the viewer to experience some of what I have seen and felt during these explorations and to see something in nature with new eyes; the discoveries are endless.





		RIKER HILL ART PARK OPEN HOUSE Artist Studios & Demonstrations Saturday & Sunday, June 1 - 2, 2013 11am-5pm Viridian Print Studio at Riker Hill Art Park 284 Beaufort Avenue, Bld 506 Livingston, NJ 07039 Located off of Eisenhower Parkway near Route 10 973 809 8261 MAP & DIRECTIONS

Sections